The Circuitous Route - Jolex, Grey's Anatomy
by Gracie Becker
Summary: This series follows Jo Wilson and Alex Karev as they navigate life-changing decisions and their evolving relationship. Some chapters describe more day-to-day matters, while others explore larger topics.
1. Chapter 1: All By Myself

**All By Myself**

Voiceover (Alex): _Life as a resident? It pretty much sucks. 24-48 hour shifts. Little sleep. You don't know what the hell you're doing most of the time. Doctors are constantly barking orders at you. You wonder how fetching someone's coffee helps you learn to be a better doctor. But what gets you through it is the promise of those first solo surgeries. That's what keeps you going and gives you hope. Those initial opportunities to slice someone open yourself. To fix them. To heal them. To __be__ the doctor._

Jo and Bailey were standing at the OR board, and Jo's stomach was full of butterflies. She listened as Bailey explained that Tuck had a huge soccer tournament the next day and needed his Mama at those games. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Wilson," Bailey exclaimed, "but it looks like you're going to have your first truly solo appy tomorrow. I won't be there. Nobody will be hovering over you. It'll be your OR. You're ready."

Jo held herself together with every ounce of self-control she could muster. She was tempted to pick Bailey up and twirl her around in a giant hug. _Yeah, _Jo thought to herself, _not advisable. _Instead, she said maturely, "Thank you, Dr. Bailey. I look forward to the opportunity." Bailey handed Jo the Expo marker and said, "Well, then, go ahead. Write your name on that appy. Put it on the board and savor the feeling. Heck, take a picture if you want." Jo smiled as she wrote her name in the spot for surgeon. Bailey assured Jo, "I'll do the paperwork and let Hunt know."

Jo began to walk down the hall to find Stephanie and share the good news. Her cell phone buzzed and she saw a text from Alex: _Bugging out early. Come home with me. You won't regret it. _Jo laughed to herself, fully aware she still had six hours left on her shift. She texted back: _Thanks for the offer but no dice. I'm done at 8. _Alex wrote back: _You know you want me._ Jo responded: _Yep and I want to keep my job too. I'll see you around 8._

Alex read the texts, disappointed but not surprised. He took his time driving home and puttered around the house. Not often having time off alone, he really was not sure what to do with himself. He cleaned a little, watched some TV, and took a nap. He rummaged through the fridge for some leftovers when he woke up, stealing Arizona's lasagna from that great Italian restaurant down the street. As he ate, he watched the minutes slowly tick by on the clock. Jo couldn't come home soon enough.

Finally, at 8:30, Jo drove up and Alex ran to the door to meet her. Jo walked in and was greeted with an overly eager boyfriend who scooped her up, carried her up the stairs, and fell onto the bed with her. "Well, that's a wonderful hello," Jo smiled. Alex leaned in to kiss her as he held her, speaking in between kisses, "I've been waiting all day for you to get home." Jo giggled and stroked the hair by his ear, gazing deeply into his eyes, "You, Alex Karev, are the best thing that's ever happened in my life." Alex began tickling her and said, "Aww, c'mon. Don't ruin the moment by getting all sappy." Jo laughed as she wiggled from the tickling. The tickling led to more kissing and to a wonderful night together.

As they lay snuggling, Alex asked Jo about her day. "You won't believe it! I get to do a solo surgery tomorrow. First one in my group. Bailey told me I'm ready – Bailey! Solo. My OR," Jo exclaimed. "That's a big deal. Don't screw it up," Alex offered with a grin. "You know, Alex," Jo suggested, "a 'wow, that's great, Jo, I have complete confidence in you' might be another option." Alex kissed Jo on the top of her head, "Just giving you some crap to keep you humble. It's a helluva lot better to go in with a little trepidation than with too much confidence." Jo responded, "Still…" Alex grimaced, "Well, you'd better sleep well. Big day tomorrow, solo surgeon."

The next morning in the car on the way to work, Jo had recited the steps of the surgery over and over. After the fifth or sixth time, Alex started quizzing her about potential complications. She answered each question perfectly. Alex and Jo walked into the hospital together – she was beaming and he was obviously proud. Alex leaned toward her ear and whispered, "I have complete confidence in you." Jo beamed at him in response.

As the couple reached the OR board, they said good morning to Hunt. Alex stopped to look at the board so he could see 'Wilson' written on it. He was planning to snap a picture with his cell phone, print it out, and stick in on the fridge. But, as he looked, he noticed her name was nowhere to be found. There was an appy, but Meredith's name was listed next to it. "Hey, Hunt, why isn't Wilson's name listed on that appy?" Owen, shuffling papers, looked up with confusion, "Ummm…because she's a resident." Owen began to walk away, obviously overloaded and busy. Alex started to follow him, but Jo stopped him, "Alex, I don't need my boyfriend navigating my surgery opportunities." Alex looked at her and insisted, "Then go follow him. Advocate for yourself."

Jo reluctantly walked toward Hunt, calling out, "Dr. Hunt?" Owen turned as he stood waiting at the elevator. "Dr. Hunt, my name was on the board last night when I left. Dr. Bailey gave me the surgery when she realized she would need to be away today," Jo explained. Hunt shook his head gently, "Wilson, I'm sorry. Bailey did not mention anything to me. I saw your name on the board, but I assumed someone was trying to play a joke on you or something." Jo looked directly at Hunt, "I can appreciate that, Chief, but I am telling you that Dr. Bailey assigned me that surgery last night around 7:45. It's supposed to be my surgery." By this point, Alex had maneuvered himself closer so he could see Jo's face. He saw her breathing slowly and knew the tears weren't far behind. He mouthed, "Don't cry," to her and modeled taking deep breaths. Jo nodded slowly in response and grinned. Owen looked at Jo. As the elevator doors opened, Owen said, "I'm sorry, Wilson. That's all the time I have. There will be other opportunities. You're with Kepner today."

Once the elevator doors closed, Jo began walking toward Alex. Alex tilted his head toward a nearby supply room. "Don't worry," Jo assured him, "I'm not going to cry." Alex smirked, "It's ok if you do, in here, you know." Jo responded, "I'm good, Alex. I'm pissed, but I'm good." Alex brushed some of her hair behind her ear, "You want me to talk to Hunt? I can explain it, mention my confidence in your skills." Jo shook her head, "Alex, don't jockey for me behind the scenes. It's not right. I want to do this on my own." "Ok," Alex said, "then you need to do something. What are you going to do?" Jo sighed, "I don't know yet. In the meantime, I'm going to go find Kepner." Alex offered to help her find Kepner before he headed up to the NICU.

When they walked toward the ER nurses' station, April approached, "Oh, wonderful," she said in her sing-songy voice, "My resident for the day! This will be great." Jo tried to fake excitement. Kepner continued, "I requested you specifically, Dr. Wilson. We can have a girls' day in the ER. It'll be fun!" Alex mimics Kepner, "It'll be fun." Kepner walked within a foot of Alex and looked him right in the eye, "Karev, don't you have someplace to be?" Alex raised his eyebrows, kissed Jo on the cheek, and headed toward the elevator.

Jo's day in the ER was swamped. One of her patients was complaining about pain that was doubling her over. After an initial exam, Jo paged Meredith for a consult. Meredith hurried down, examined patient and asked Jo, "So what do you think we're looking at, Wilson?" Jo explained that she would order a CT and draw labs. Her hunch was that the woman had gallstones. Meredith ordered, "Yes. Good call. Proceed." After Meredith turned to the patient and assured her that she was in good hands with Dr. Wilson, she said to Jo, "A moment, Dr. Wilson."

Jo followed Meredith to a consultation room. "Yes, Dr. Grey?" Wilson said as Meredith closed the door. "Wilson, I don't understand you. I hear you advocated for a solo surgery this morning, but then you called me for a consult on a simple gallbladder? You and I both know that's what the tests will show. Why did you call me down? You should make these kind of calls on your own now, Wilson." Jo had been a resident long enough to know that she should make eye contact, listen, and not respond. "I was considering asking you for more details about that appy that you said Bailey assigned to you, but now I'm so disappointed with this gallbladder, I'm not sure if you've got the confidence to be on your own. Don't waste my time with simple cases, Wilson. Step up." Meredith began to leave the room, and Jo took a deep breath, "Thank you, Dr. Grey."

When Jo stepped back into the hall, the paramedics were bringing in a man who had been in a terrible car accident. Kepner called out, "Wilson, take this. We have two more incoming. I need to get back out there." Jo nodded and listened to the paramedics recite vitals. The patient was wheeled into a room and Jo declared, "On my count. 1.2.3." She realized quickly that there was blood pooling in his chest. She called to the nurse, "We need to prepare for a chest tube." The nurse responded, "Do you want me to page Dr. Hunt?" Jo shook her head, "No, I've got this."

Jo successfully placed the chest tube and declared, "Let's get him up to the OR." As the group wheeled the patient toward the elevator, Hunt happened to walk by and joined the group. "What do you have, Wilson?" Jo recited the basics and then Hunt nodded, "Ok, I've got it from here. I need you back in the pit. And I need to speak with you later. Let's meet down here at 11:00am." Jo nodded, but was disappointed to not be invited to assist in the surgery.

The time to meet with Owen came quickly. Jo had just sat down for the first time all morning when Owen approached. "Wilson, let's…ummm…go over here." Owen motioned her to an empty exam room and shut the door, then he began bellowing, "What the hell were you thinking, Wilson? Why in the world would you place a chest tube on your own? Why did you run that case on your own? You are a _resident_, Wilson, not an attending. You crossed the line and you're damn lucky the patient is fine. But that's not the point. The point is that you overstepped the boundaries…"

Jo, knowing better but at the end of her rope, took a deep breath and held up her hand toward Owen, "Dr. Hunt. Please. Stop." Hunt was surprised and confused by her courage and direct manner. He looked at Jo and asked, "What? Excuse me?!" Jo's voice became more clipped as her volume increased the more she spoke, "Dr. Hunt, please just hear me out. I began the day anticipating a solo surgery that Dr. Bailey assured me I was ready to perform. That was taken away from me. Then when I called Dr. Grey down for a consult on a gallbladder, she admonished me for even paging her. She made it clear I needed to step up my game. Then you come down and tell me basically the opposite. I am more than willing to follow the boundaries and to know my place, however, it's pretty impossible to discern those lines when there are no guidelines, no written rules, no clarity." By the time she stopped speaking, Jo was yelling as loud if not louder than Owen had yelled at her. She paused to take a breath, glanced toward the window, and noticed Alex was outside the room looking in to the room stunned.

Hunt breathed in and looked Jo in the eye, "Well, Dr. Wilson…" Jo interrupted, "I'm sorry, Dr. Hunt. I apologize." Owen shook his head, "No, actually, Wilson, you have a point. There is a much, much better way to communicate it, and I'm a bit stunned by your volume. Now, having not been yelled at like that since my own residency, I'm going to step out and take a walk to cool down. I suggest you do likewise. Let's meet back in here in 30 minutes. Now, if you'll excuse me." Owen walked out of the room with a touch of intensity as Jo remained there taking in the interchange.

Alex walked in and said firmly but quietly, "What the hell were you thinking? You don't talk to the Chief of Surgery like that. Hell, I don't even talk to him like that." Jo rolled her eyes and responded, "Alex…not now. Please. I'm fully aware of what I just did." Alex approached her and put his hands on her shoulders as he grinned, "Do you need some time off? Should we go grab something to eat? It's not like you to be this intense with an attending other than me." Jo smiled, "I just need to step outside for a few minutes. Go back to the NICU. I'm ok. What were you doing down here anyway?" Alex shrugged, "Kepner paged me for a consult." Alex and Jo kissed, then he kissed her on the forehead and suggested, "Behave yourself. One hothead Karev is enough for this place and I've already claimed that role." Jo softly giggled. Just by his presence, Alex had calmed her down.

After about 40 minutes, Owen found Jo as she was treating a patient with a minor issue. He approached and said, "Dr. Wilson, could I pull you away for a brief consult please?" He did not truly need a consult, but it was a way to get her to step away and save face in front of the patient. Jo smiled toward the patient and explained, "I'll be back in a few minutes." Then, Jo followed Owen into an empty room.

Owen looked at Jo seriously and began, "Dr. Wilson, your behavior earlier was completely out of line. Without a doubt, you had a point that needed to be shared. However, if you cannot control your emotions, you have no business treating patients. Jo attempted to interrupt with an apology, "Dr. Hunt…" Owen looked at her sternly, "Stop right there, Wilson. I need you to step off the floor for a few hours and collect yourself. Go observe from the gallery, do some charting, study, whatever. Just make sure you get your act together, Wilson. You know there are more productive ways to communicate with a superior. See me this afternoon and we'll go from there." Jo nodded and said softly, "Absolutely, sir."

Jo's day had gone from bad to worse as the minutes passed. She paged Alex '910' – very important but not an emergency. She simply wanted to lean into his chest and sob. She didn't realize that he was swamped and in the middle of a surgery. As her page came through, Alex asked a nurse to check it for him. The nurse shared that Jo had paged 910. Alex asked, "Thanks. Could you please text back: Please elaborate. In surgery." Time went by and Jo did not respond. She decided to head up to the gallery rather than interrupt Alex as he operated.

When she stepped into the gallery, Jo was trying not to cry. Her plan was to look as if she was engaged as she attempted to re-center and catch her breath. She wasn't aware that Alex was operating because her eyes were fixed near the ceiling of the OR. Alex looked up and saw her, but couldn't seem to catch her eye. He asked the nurse to turn on the speaker so he could ask Jo to come down and scrub in to assist, "I need an extra set of hands. I need your hands. Can you get down here and scrub in?" Jo looked down with a gentle smile, recognizing Alex's voice. She responded that she'd be right down. After scrubbing in, Jo entered the room and stood by the patient. Alex explained, "We've got some bleeders. I keep thinking I've found them all but the patient is still unstable. There are more bleeders in here somewhere." Jo looked down and reached into the patient's abdomen. She asked for suction in an area near the edge of the retractor and stated, "Dr. Karev, it appears the retractor dug into the patient's skin over here." Alex was surprised and stopped what he was doing to look at the area. He celebrated, "Bingo, Dr. Wilson. Can you re-place the retractor and begin stitching that up? Great job." Alex returned to finish in the area where he'd been working, occasionally looking up at Jo to nod or to smile through his surgical mask, "Excellent catch, Wilson. Excellent. You saved the day." Jo smiled in response as she worked.

At sinks afterward, Alex kissed Jo in celebration, "What would I do without you?" Tears began to fall as Jo shared, "It has been the absolute worst day. I needed to hear that." Alex leaned toward her and placed his forehead on hers, "I love you." She continued to tell Alex about her day. Alex responded, "Oh, screw 'em. Just screw 'em. None of that matters." She leans into his chest, crying. He pulls her chin up gently and looks her in the eye, "Actually, instead of that, how about if we find an on-call room and start the day all over?"

_Every resident dreams of the day they will no longer be a resident. They imagine it will be a life of freedom and authority, but the truth is that being an attending provides its own challenges. The upside is that the paychecks are a hell of a lot better, but, there's a lot more responsibility – responsibility for patients' lives. By the time you finally become an attending, you're pretty aware of what you know and what you don't know. When you're stressed, you snap at residents and interns even though they don't deserve it. Attendings like to believe we were never as clueless as the interns and residents we're teaching. It's true – we weren't as clueless. We were __more__ clueless when we were in their shoes. And some days, we are more clueless as attendings than they are as residents._


	2. Chapter 2: Baby You Can Drive My Car

**Baby, You Can Drive My Car**

Voiceover [Jo]: _There are days when being a resident gives you the biggest high: you observe some amazing surgery, a superior praises your skill, or you're asked to assist with an intricate procedure. Those days are wonderful. There are other days when you wonder why you came to the hospital: you're asked to fetch coffee, a patient barfs on you, or an attending asks you to run a personal errand. Those days are a chore. But you're a resident. Regardless of the task, you do what you're asked to do. And you do it with a smile on your face._

Jo was hanging out with Stephanie in the Resident's Lounge, laughing and telling stories about their boyfriends. She'd just finished telling a hilarious story and they were roaring with laughter. "If Alex knew I told you that story, he'd be mortified," Jo mused. Stephanie, still laughing, said, "No worries. It's what girlfriends do – we tell each other these things. Your story's safe with me." Jo turned more serious as she lay on the bench looking at the ceiling, "I know we all thought he was such an ass at first – hell, I probably felt that more strongly than anyone – but I've come to see how his smartass exterior is just a cover for a tender, caring, vulnerable guy. You wouldn't believe how damn cute and compassionate he can be, Steph." Stephanie responded, "Yep, he can definitely be an ass, but I've seen the way you two interact and look at each other. You two have a synchronicity. Sometimes it almost makes me jealous. You better not mess this relationship up – I think he's the one for you." Jo lifted her head and grinned at Stephanie as a page came through on her pager, '_Dr. Shepherd – OR 2.'_

Jo sat up and said, "That's weird. It's Dr. Shepherd, but I'm on Alex's service today." Stephanie looked at her matter-of-factly, suggesting, "Well, I don't know about you but that guy kind of intimidates me. I'd be hustling if I were you." Jo stood up and nodded her head as she left the room with a quick step. As she entered the scrub area for OR 2, she noticed Alex was operating alongside Derek. In a way, she was frustrated Alex hadn't paged her to observe, but she was also relieved not to be in there anxiously awaiting the inevitable questions Dr. Shepherd consistently asked of the residents who were present at his surgeries.

Jo grabbed a mask and entered the OR, "You paged, Dr. Shepherd?" Derek responded without looking up, "Yes, Wilson. Dr. Karev and I are operating on Emma here. She's a three year old who fell out a second story window." Jo sighed internally, thinking, '_Did he really just page me to come answer a bunch of questions about this little girl and her injuries?' _Jo responded, "How sad. Will she be alright?" Alex looked up with brokenhearted eyes and said, "She's pretty bad off. We're trying. Lots of internal bleeding, a broken femur that Torres already dealt with, and brain bleeds."

Randomly, Shepherd added, "How's your driving record, Wilson?" Jo was completely confused by the question, but responded, "Ummm…clean." Shepherd continued, "No accidents?" Jo confirmed, "No, never." Shepherd continued, "No tickets?" Jo shook her head, "Never." Simultaneously, Alex and Derek looked up and said in unison, "Really?!" Jo put a hand on her hip and said, "Seriously." Derek nodded and said, "Wow. I'm impressed," then turning to his resident, he added, "Ok, now you'll want to turn your retractor very slowly about 10 degrees to the left. Very. Slowly… Yes. Good."

Jo continued to wonder why the hell Shepherd had called her down to the OR, "Is that all, Dr. Shepherd?" Derek laughed gently and explained, "No. I am going to be in this surgery at least two more hours, and it appears Dr. Grey's car won't start. She and our kids are stuck at home. Dr. Karev tells me he's leaving early today and that his service is light. He suggested that you might be able to help me get out of a pinch." Jo looked at Alex with a What the Hell glance and replied, "Sure. How can I help?" Shepherd looked up at Alex and asked, "How's that internal bleeding, Karev?" Alex responded, "I found the source and fixed some lacs. Just a few more repairs and I'll be ready to close." Shepherd nodded, "Wonderful. I could use your hands up here when you're done." Karev nodded, "Sure."

Derek looked up at Jo and apologized, "I'm sorry, Dr. Wilson. Back to my request. If you'd be so kind as to go get my wife and children at our home, I will be unbelievably and deeply grateful." Jo agreed, as if she had a choice in the matter, explaining, "Sure. My car is in the shop though. Alex, can I borrow yours?" Without looking up, Shepherd insisted, "Oh no, no worries. Please take my car. It's in space 3. A black Cayenne." Jo's stomach turned upside down at the thought of driving Derek's car, "Oh…Dr. Shepherd…I'm not sure I'm comfortable driving your Porsche. Alex, maybe I can borrow your car." Alex rolled his eyes and joked, "Oh, no problem driving my brand new Audi, huh?" Derek quickly chided, "Well, it's not a Porsche, Karev. Really, Wilson, please take my car. The longer we stand here discussing this, the more tense Dr. Grey becomes. The more tense Dr. Grey becomes, the worse my day will be. The worse my day will be…." Alex interjected, "The worse everyone's day will be."

Alex continued with a hint of sarcasm, "Hey, how about if Jo takes my car and I'll drive the Porsche to my meeting this afternoon?" Shepherd laughed gently, "I don't remember offering that option, Dr. Karev. Something tells me you've acquired a heftier driving record than Dr. Wilson." Derek continued, "My keys are next to my pager on the tray in the corner, Dr. Wilson. My wallet is the black trifold – grab some cash for the ferry." Alex shrugged as he looked toward Jo. He decided he couldn't resist the opportunity to embarrass her in front of Shepherd, "Or, you can take money out of my wallet – my wallet's right here in my front pocket." Both Karev and Shepherd snorted like 8th grade boys as Jo pretended to ignore them. She walked over to the tray and held up a black trifold, "This one, Dr. Shepherd?"

Jo nervously walked to the parking lot, praying her accident-free record would remain spotless as she drove the $150,000 car. She opened the door to find two car seats in the back and an absolutely immaculate interior. Only Shepherd could have children in a car and have the car look this new. She moved into the driver's seat and pushed the GPS button for home, as Derek had suggested to her before she left the OR. She was on her way.

She drove onto the ferry, parked the car, and went up to the deck as the ferry crossed the sound. Grabbing her phone, she called Stephanie, "You won't believe what that page was for." Stephanie heard strange background noises and asked, "Where are you?" Jo laughed, "I'm on a ferry heading toward Dr. Shepherd's house to pick up Dr. Grey and their kids. Somehow this is part of my medical education." Stephanie retorted, "No fair. I'm stuck here and just got put on scut. You suck." Jo laughed and added, "Yeah, but what's more worrisome? Driving Dr. Shepherd's Porsche or doing stitches?" Stephanie concluded, "Whatever. Like I said, you suck, Jo."

Soon the ferry docked, and Jo drove the rest of the way to the house. She arrived to find a crabby and tense Dr. Grey who managed to smile and be sing-songy to her kids while grousing and growling about her car and her messed up schedule to Jo. Jo offered to help Meredith load up and found herself being ordered around like in the early days of internship. As she walked back and forth between the car and the house, Jo was in awe the house and view. She was amazed that anyone she knew lived in such a beautiful space. "Dr. Grey, your home is so lovely, and your view…it's spectacular." Meredith responded hurriedly as she gathered baby gear, "Thanks. Derek had the house built for us. He bought the land when he first came to Seattle." Jo stared in wonder – she couldn't imagine having someone build a house for her, let alone owning such a huge parcel of land. The Shepherd-Grey reality seemed unreal in her I-used-to-live-in-my-car world.

"Ok," Meredith declared as she buckled in the kids, "We are all loaded up." Jo approached the passenger side of the Porsche, but Meredith insisted, "Oh, no, Wilson. You drive. I need to return calls." Jo moved to the other side of the car. Now supervised by Meredith and driving with singing children in the car, Jo found the experience nerve-wracking. Jo couldn't help but overhear Meredith's phone call as she snapped at her resident, answered his questions, and grilled the poor guy. After about five minutes, Meredith pulled the phone away from her mouth and basically insisted, "You know, Wilson, Dr. Shepherd consistently drives this car 10-15 miles per hour faster than the speed limit. You can go a little faster so we don't miss the next ferry." Jo nodded and sped up about 5 miles per hour, hoping Meredith wouldn't nudge her to go even faster. Between the price tag of the car she was driving, the fact that the car belonged to two doctors who intimidated her, and the happy but loud noise of the doctors' children, Jo really wanted to maintain her focus. Focusing was increasingly more difficult as Meredith's phone calls continued one after the other all the way to the ferry.

Jo drove onto the ferry with time to spare before it departed. As soon as she parked, she quickly excused herself to the bathroom before Meredith had an opportunity to ask her to babysit. Being a chauffeur was one thing, but babysitting would be asking too much. Entering the bathroom, Jo threw up from all the intensity, splashed water on her face, and took a deep breath. This was more stressful than surgery. Jo walked over to the deck and looked out at the water.

Jo's phone buzzed and she looked down to see a text from Alex: _Are you still in one piece? Wrecked the car yet? _Jo laughed softly and wrote back: _Nope but I am halfway to Mexico. _Alex responded: _Without me?! _Jo replied and decided to fess up: _Actually, I just puked from the crazy experience of driving this car with Dr. Grey snapping out orders as I chauffeured her to the ferry. _Alex responded: _Lightweight. _Jo shook her head and laughed softly at her smartass guy, then responded: _Go easy on me, I'm furthering my medical education as a driver and potential babysitter. _Alex wrote back: _Ok, now you're just whining. Gotta go. 3 u._

As the ferry approached the dock, Jo returned to the car. Meredith was now in the driver's seat and said, "I'll go ahead and drive. We'll never get to the hospital if you drive. It'd take days." Jo sighed with relief, "Okay." Meredith peeled off the ferry and onto the freeway. She pushed the 'Derek' button on the integrated Bluetooth. A nurse answered and put her on speaker phone. Meredith and Jo heard Derek's voice slowly and tentatively speak in a code that communicated that it was not just the Derek and Meredith on the line, "Dr. Grey." Meredith requested, "Hey, I'm on the freeway. Would it be possible for someone to prep my OR so I can begin my surgery as soon as I arrive?" Derek responded, wondering why this was his responsibility, "I'll see what I can do."

Zola heard her daddy's voice and exclaimed, "Hi Daddy!" Bailey joined in with his own greeting. Derek responded, "Hey kiddos," then he turned to Stephanie and asked her to set up Meredith's OR. Zola shouted, "Daddy…Daddy…do you know what sound kitties make?" Derek responded as he continued to operate, "I do, but I want to hear you make that sound, Zo. Can you make it for me later in daycare? Daddy needs to help a little girl named Emma right now." Zola eagerly answered, "Meow, meow, meow. Ok."

Jo continued to feel awkward in this awkward situation on this awkward day. Another text came through from Alex. Jo asked, "Do you mind if I tend to this, Dr. Grey?" Meredith responded, "Not at all, Wilson. Nice of you to ask." Zola requested, "Mommy, can I text too?" Meredith grinned and explained to Jo, "She takes selfies and we send them to Derek." Jo commented, "That's adorable." Jo looked down to read Alex's text: _If you're with Mer, don't share this. Lawyer appointment went well. Will set up my own practice and partnership to protect my $$ share that Yang left me. _Jo typed back: _Sounds like rich people problems _. Alex responded: _I want you on the papers._ Jo's eyes widened as she wrote: _What's that even mean? Let's talk later. _

Zola, jealous of all the texting, requested, "Can I text?" Jo turned around to take a picture of Zola and sent it to Alex. Alex wrote back: _Let me Facetime her. _Soon, Alex was making funny faces and crazy growling roars as he greeted Zola and as Zola howled with laughter, "Uncle Alex!" Meanwhile, Jo's mind was spinning with Alex's words about partnership, legal documents, and including her. Suddenly the stress of being a chauffeur seemed pretty minor.

Voiceover [Jo]: _Barista, chauffeur, lackey, errand runner – a resident never knows what their day may bring. An attending might invite you to hold a retractor or even to close at the end of a surgery. On the same day, that attending might snap at you for a minor error. Residents are expected to know the answer to any question an attending asks. Attendings never ask a resident what is on their schedule or date book, but we'd know that answer too: whatever you ask of me whether it's serving as a personal assistant, catching up on charting, or checking your pre and post ops. All of that pales in comparison to your boyfriend asking you to go into business with him. When asked to be a co-signer on legal documents, residency suddenly seems like a breeze._

FF_6295206_ 1/31/2015 5


	3. Chapter 3: Surprise, Surprise

**Surprise, Surprise**

Jo stretched out diagonally on the bed, not opening her eyes yet knowing it was time to get going. Alex was getting ready in the bathroom. She'd heard him rustling around as he showered and got dressed. He walked over as she stretched and leaned to kiss her, "Hey, lazy girl. I was wondering if you were getting out of bed today." He continued to gaze at her as he tied his tie. Jo sleepily opened her eyes and commented, "Well, you look nice this morning. What's the occasion?"

"I've got that meeting with the board today to discuss the shares of the hospital that Cristina gave me…and I'm running late. I hate to ask you to do this, but could you stop at the cleaners and pick up my black blazer?" Alex knew Jo would get to the hospital just before the meeting with the board, but he needed to get over there now to check on a couple patients.

Jo didn't mind running Alex's errands. In fact, she was a bit tickled that he was letting her in and asking her to help him. "Absolutely. I'll be happy to. But, I literally have no cash. Not even a dollar until payday tomorrow." Alex looked at her flatly, remembering the reality of being a low paid resident. He reached into his wallet, trying to remain expressionless, and pulled out two twenties, "Here. Now you can pay for the dry cleaning and get a mocha on your way in or something." Jo always felt uncomfortable when Alex gave her money – it made her feel beholden to him and dependent.

The couple had talked about it so many times. Alex insisted he wanted to share his money with her and had consistently shared that assurance. In typical Alex form, he told her to get over herself and take the money. This time, mostly because Alex was in a hurry and because she wasn't up for a fight, she simply responded, "Thanks, Alex. That's sweet of you." As he walked out the door, Alex responded, "Yeah…whatever. See you at the hospital."

Jo hopped in the shower and made her way downstairs for a quick breakfast. Just as she was about to put the first bite of cereal in her mouth, the house phone rang. She wasn't sure if she should even bother to answer it; it seemed like the only people who called the landline were salespeople. Her gut told her to pick it up this time, so she answered, "Hello." A soft and gentle female voice answered back, "Ummm…hi…is Alex Karev available?" Jo responded, "Oh, you just missed him. Can I take a message?" The caller paused then responded back, "I'm not sure we know each other. I'm Izzy. Izzy Stevens." Jo looked at the phone quizzically, "Nope, I don't think we do."

Izzy pondered what to do from here. Alex had changed his cell number and what she thought was Meredith's house phone was the only contact information she had for him. However, she had no idea who the person on the other end of the line was. It all just felt weird. Izzy continued, "Well, I'm an old friend. Alex and I were interns at the hospital together. Can I give you my number and ask you to please have him call me?" Jo's mind quickly shifted to the concept of Alex as an intern. She was tempted to ask Izzy for some great stories about Alex's learning curve in his early years as a doctor. Not knowing the woman at all, she decided against it and said, "Sure. Let me grab a pen." Jo jotted down Izzy's name and the three numbers Izzy shared with her. "Ok, I'll be sure he gets the message. I'll see him in about an hour or so." Izzy wondered if Alex would call even if he received the message, so she added, "Thanks. Hey…it's really important he call me back." Jo wondered what in the world this woman wanted, "No worries. I'll make sure he knows."

Just as Jo hung up the phone, it rang again. Jo answered it and a man named Samuel Harrington introduced himself as a banker. She was just about to hang up, thinking he was a salesperson, when Samuel said, "Could you let him know I received his message from a few minutes ago and it will be no problem to accommodate his request. He can call me so we can work out the details – I should be at my desk the rest of the morning." Jo jotted down Samuel's information, with confusion about the cryptic message, and assured the banker she would deliver it to Alex.

Jo walked back to the bar to finish her cereal, mumbling to herself, _Alex's answering service, how may I help you?_ A few minutes later, Alex texted her: _Hey, random question, have you ever heard of Josie and the Pussycats?_ Jo laughed aloud as she texted back: _What the hell? _Alex asked her again: _You know, Josie and the Pussycats._ She texted back: _Wasn't that some bomb of a movie about 15 years ago? Sounds kind of possibly familiar._ Alex responded: _Not sure about a movie. It was a cartoon when I was a kid. Hold on – I'll find a pic and send it._ Jo finished her cereal and then received Alex's picture message of the cartoon band.

She laughed again and responded: _umm…no. Can't say I've heard of this fine and talented band. Why?_ Alex texted right back: _I've been trying to come up with some kind of pet name for you and I thought of Josie and then I thought of the cartoon. The chick band rocked. You missed out, you young thing._ Jo responded: _2 questions: 1. Is the hospital really that slow this morning? And 2. Josie? Really, Alex?_" Alex wrote back: _1\. Yes but now you've jinxed it and 2. Ha! That's it then. Love ya Josie._ Jo rolled her eyes and headed out to the dry cleaners.

Awhile later, Jo arrived at the hospital, Alex' blazer in hand. She met him in the hallway by the conference room and he quickly offered, "Thanks," and then began to put it on. She fussed with his tie and collar and Alex, hoping nobody would see the scene, grimaced as Jo smiled and tended to him. "You…you look amazing. Now go get 'em tiger. You'll do fine," she shared as she kissed him on the cheek.

She reached into her pocket and said, "Oh, hey…I took a couple messages for you this morning on the landline. Someone from your intern group and someone from the bank called." She handed him the notes. "Izzy called?" Alex said, stunned, as he looked at the top note. "Yeah, she sounded really nice and said it was really important you call her back." Alex paused, looked at the note again and looked at Jo as he stuck the notes in his pocket, "Yeah…ok. I gotta get in there." Jo smiled and offered, "Yep. Good luck! And let me know how it goes, ok?" Alex looked over his shoulder and said, "Yep. Thanks for the blazer again, Josie." Jo frowned and then giggled and shook her head at the sound of this poorly-fitting, new pet name.

About an hour or so later, Jo went down to her car. She decided to head home once lunchtime came since Alex hadn't been in touch and since the hospital was uncharacteristically slow. Two residents were being allowed to clock out, and she jumped at the opportunity. Down in the parking lot, she tried to start her car and it wouldn't even turn over. "Great," Jo said to nobody in particular. She began to head back into the hospital, and her phone buzzed as she walked. It was a text from Alex: _Mtg ok, keeping my shares, not on board. Figuring out details now._ Jo smiled in relief and texted back: _Good news! I clocked out. My car won't start. Again. Argh!_ Alex jotted back: _Take mine. Keys are on my desk in the NICU._ Jo was fairly stunned – Alex and his new Audi were fairly inseparable. _Sure?_ she texted back. _Sure, as long as you're not headed out drag racing_ was the response. Jo responded: _No – just going home. Let me know when you're done – I can come get you._ Again, Alex took the opportunity to throw out his new pet name: _Will do, Josie._

Meanwhile, after a break, the Board, Alex, and the hospital lawyers re-gathered in the conference room and began to hammer out the details surrounding Cristina's gift to Alex. Alex had told them multiple times that he wanted a lawyer of his own to review the final proposal, but that he was willing to negotiate possible options here and now. Derek, representing both himself and Meredith, seemed to be disengaged and not fully present. Owen, representing the hospital and a bit perturbed Cristina had not left her shares to him, was second in command as Jackson led the discussions. Arizona and Callie rounded out the attendees because Webber and Bailey had stepped out to perform an emergency surgery.

Arizona decided to call out her stance before the negotiations turned into another round of everyone talking over everyone else, "I really don't understand why this needs to be complicated. Cristina had shares and received an appropriate percentage of profits based on her shares. Alex should simply receive what Cristina received minus the board seat." Jackson responded, "It would seem that simple, but it's more complicated than that. Apparently the legal documents are not clear about how to handle someone not having a board seat yet owning a share of the hospital. Callie interjected, "Well, then let's just add a bylaw or an amendment or something and be done with this. We've spent all morning spinning our wheels. I have patients to treat." Alex was enjoying watching the board discuss this. According to his lawyer, his shares in the hospital were indisputably his, and he was entitled to any proceeds. It was true the legal documents did not address the situation, but Alex knew that would all play out his way one way or another.

Jackson spoke as he looked in the direction of the lawyers, "Why not create another board seat?" One lawyer responded, "That is certainly an option. According to Section 8B-s5, that decision would need to be unanimous among the current board members." Jackson looked to the rest of the group, "Well? Straw poll – who wants to move that direction? Well…wait. Alex, would you mind leaving the room at this point?" Alex shrugged his shoulders and was nonchalant, "Sure." Alex gathered up his papers and stepped into the hall.

As long as he was just sitting in a chair in the hallway, Alex decided to look at the messages Jo gave him earlier. He decided to call the banker first, because he still was not sure what to do with Izzy's request. "Hi, Mr. Harrington, Dr. Karev," Alex offered as Samuel answered the phone. "Yes, Doctor, thank you for returning my call. You asked this morning about adding on another signatory to your accounts. We can easily add Dr. Wilson. All we need is a few signatures from you, a signature from Dr. Wilson, and Dr. Wilson's proof of citizenship for Homeland Security. Once the legal paperwork on your partnership is in place, we will simply list the partnership as the account holder and remove individual ownership from the account. Funneling everything through your partnership will protect your funds." Alex was relieved, "Great. We could probably stop by this afternoon or tomorrow if that would work." Samuel assured him, "That's no problem at all, Dr. Karev. Now, just to make sure you are clear – this addition of Dr. Wilson to your accounts would allow her equal access and ownership to your funds and accounts. And you want that to occur on all accounts?" Alex really had such little experience with money matters and hadn't thought about his investments and a money market account, "Umm, yeah, I guess." Harrington suggested, "How about if we add her simply to the checking account for now? Then once your upcoming engagement occurs, we can revisit the rest of the details." Mr. Harrington assured Alex the paperwork would be drawn up and ready at the front desk of the bank within an hour. For Alex, this shift was more about convenience than anything else. Just as Jo felt strange when he gave her money, he felt weird handing out money to her as if she were a kept woman. As far as Alex was concerned, this would simplify groceries, bills, and miscellaneous expenses. It would also Jo take a big breath and no longer have to worry about payday.

Alex peaked into the conference room, where it looked as if discussions were far from resolved. He held the message from Izzy in his hand and stared down at it, unsure what she wanted and unsure he wanted to open up any kind of communication with Izzy. It had been many years since the two had spoken and since they'd divorced. As Alex sat there and stared at the message, Bailey walked by on her way back into the conference room. "They kicked you out so they could talk about you, huh?" Alex laughed silently and looked up, "Yeah. Trying to figure out details." Bailey, not so sure she wanted to enter into the drama in the conference room paused and asked, "Do you mind if I sit down with you for a moment?" Alex responded, "Be my guest."

As Bailey sat down, the message from Izzy fell off Alex's knee and onto the floor in front of Bailey. Alex rushed to pick it up, bumping heads with Bailey as she tried to help. "Back up, back up. Don't hurt me, Karev. I got your paper." Bailey picked it up and handed it to Alex. As Bailey handed the message to Alex, he showed it to her and offered, "It's a message from Izzy. Jo took it this morning. Jo has no idea who Izzy is, and I have no idea why Izzy is calling me." Bailey locked her gaze on Alex as he returned to staring at the message, "Hmmm…sounds like a complicated situation. You want my advice?" Alex looked up at Bailey with just a trace of tears in his eyes, "Aren't you going to give it to me anyway?" Bailey noted the hint of emotion and softly said, "The way I see it, you have three issues: what to tell your current girl, whether or not to call Stevens, and whether or not to just head over to the bar and have a beer." Alex shrugged and laughed, "Yeah. I'm not too worried about Jo – Izzy and I were a long time ago. The beer sounds good, but resolving the shares in the hospital sounds better. Really, the only question is whether or not to call Izzy." Bailey rolled her eyes as she began to stand up to go to the conference room, "Well, then, call her, you fool. What have you got to lose? Now I'm going down to straighten out the board. Give me half an hour."

Alex grabbed his phone and began calling the first number listed on the message. The phone barely rang when he heard that familiar, much-missed voice, "Hello. Isobel Stevens." Alex responded, trying to sound a little gruff and inconvenienced, "Hey, it's Alex. What's up?" Izzy sighed and didn't respond for a moment then said slowly, "Alex…hey." Alex was determined not to get emotionally tangled up and just responded, "What's up, Iz?" Izzy, expecting there would be more catching up and chatter quickly readjusted her expectations, "Well, Alex, It's pretty simple. I'm running my own modeling agency. I have a model who wants to go to medical school, and I'm looking for a doctor who can be candid with her." Alex rolled his eyes, "Iz, really? No. I'm not interested. Find someone else. Maybe Mer could do it."

Izzy let silence linger before responding, "How are you, Alex? I miss you." Alex replied, "Let's not do this, ok?" "Alex?" "Yeah?" "I'd really like to meet with you. It's really important to me." Alex said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. It's been a long time." Izzy repeated, "I'd really like to see you. I'll be in Seattle in two days. Can we meet then?"

Alex was overwhelmed. First, just hearing from Izzy was stunning. Now she would be in town in two days. He responded, "Ummmm…let me check my schedule. How long will you be here?" Izzy looked down at her datebook, "It looks like I'll be in Seattle for four days then on to Portland for three before returning home." Alex, wondering where she lived, asked, "And where is home?" She said, "Los Angeles. Can you believe it? Trailer park girl living in the big city." Alex chuckled, "What the hell, huh? What the hell."

The phone call became awkwardly silent again until Izzy asked, "And you're still in Seattle at Seattle Grace?" Alex clarified, "It's Sloan Grey now, but yes. I'm here, an attending in pediatric surgery. Pretty crazy, huh?" Izzy added, "Yeah, that is pretty crazy. And you're still living at Meredith's. I can't believe I actually tracked you down there." Alex explained, "Well, I bought the place from Mer. She and Derek built their dream house out in the woods." Alex chuckled, "Remember when we lived in that tin can and the bear used to hang around?" Izzy giggled then let the silence linger again before adding, "Yeah…what memories."

Izzy was glad Alex was softening and chatting, "Who would have ever guessed the directions our lives would take us. Are you married? Kids?" Alex, realizing he'd jumped right in to that level of conversation responded, "Neither. I have a serious girlfriend. Adding her to my bank account today, actually. Believe it or not, I'm one of those attendings screwing a resident." Izzy, unsurprised, answered, "Aaahhhh, I see. A nice young girl, huh? Good for you, Alex. Honestly, really, I'm happy for you." Just then, Bailey came walking down the hall motioning to Karev to return to the conference room. "Hey, Iz, I gotta go. I'll call you later and we'll figure out details ok?" Alex hung up before Izzy could respond.

Karev returned to the conference room and took his chair as he examined the faces of those present. He was trying to get a read on the latest proposal. Jackson opened the discussion, "Well, Alex, we've considered many options. We are in full agreement that the shares of the hospital are indeed yours with all financial rights, obligations, and benefits that come from that ownership. The financial portion of the situation will be addressed back to the date of Cristina's leave-taking, meaning that you will be receiving a check this afternoon in the amount of…" Jackson paused to look at his notes, forgetting the exact amount. Derek jumped in, "$274,345.00, which represents one-sixth of the profit sharing from the time you acquired Dr. Yang's shares."

Jackson continued, "Without the entire board present, we are unable to issue a formal proposal today regarding the Board of Directors seat, but those of us here now have an unofficial proposal to offer. It is not binding for either party, but will provide an interim solution while we vote as a full board and while you consult with your attorney." Alex responded, "Ok." Jackson continued, "We would like to offer you an interim, non-voting position on the Board of Directors as we examine our options related to this situation. You would be privy to all board information and discussions, able to weigh in with your opinion, but not given a vote if matters come to a vote. The interim position may or may not be part of the offer the Board of Directors ends up offering once all board members are contacted."

Alex tried to act nonchalant, even though he felt like yelling out and jumping up in celebration, "That sounds like an acceptable interim arrangement. I can consent to that." Everyone in the room, especially Arizona, was waiting to see Alex crack into joy or celebration. Instead, he remained stone sober. The lawyers were getting ready to draft the interim agreements so all present could sign the documents. The next board meeting was set and each doctor departed, going about their day.

Arizona lingered and once everyone else was gone, she beamed to Alex, "Oh my gosh! Isn't this amazing? Did you ever think you'd just be able to pick up a big, fat check out of the blue and gain a board seat in a major metropolitan hospital, and…" Alex interrupted her, "Can we talk?" Arizona looked at Alex with surprise as she sat down in the chair next to his. Alex walked to the door and closed it, then shared the news about Izzie's call and about how his head was spinning about the board decision, "I'm planning to ask Jo to marry me. All this stuff is great, but I don't want her to think it's why I'm asking her now. It's all messed up. Now what?" Arizona tried to contain her enthusiasm regarding the proposal and remain calm as she answered, "I think you tell Jo that, Alex. Just be honest and clear…except the 'messed up' part – that really isn't something a girl wants to remember as part of a marriage proposal."

FF_6295206_ 1/31/2015 7


	4. Chapter 4: Failed Proposal

**Failed Proposal**

Jolex, Grey's Anatomy

Voiceover [Jo]: _Life is full of surprises and consequences. During med school, you study and memorize, hoping to one day actually perform the surgeries you read about. You work hard, you graduate, you get a great placement, and all that studying pays off as you assist in saving lives. The challenge is maintaining perspective and balance, because the rush of working in a hospital and the high from performing surgeries can distract you from the most important people in your life._

"Hey," Alex said as he approached Jo as she handed a chart to a nurse, "you'll be home around 8, right?" Jo smiled and looked Alex in the eye, "Yes, just like I said I would when you asked me this morning and when you asked me at lunch." Alex shrugged, "Yeah, ok." He put an arm around Jo and leaned in to kiss her, whispering in her ear, "I can't wait. 8 o'clock. I'm counting the minutes, and I love you." Jo smiled broadly as they pulled away from one another and asked, "I'm sorry, I'm looking for my boyfriend, Alex Karev. Have you seen him? Looks a lot like you but is not much of a romantic." Alex rolled his eyes and responded with a grin, "Shut up." Alex headed home while Jo walked toward the pit.

When the doors opened, Hunt yelled from the hallway into the elevator, "Wilson! We need your hands over here. Have you seen Robbins?" Jo ran toward Owen answering, "I have not seen Robbins. Where do you need me?" Owen nodded, "Head into Trauma 2 and help Hermann. 19 year old pregnant woman carrying twins was hit by a city bus that didn't see her crossing the street." Jo's eyes widened as the duo walked toward Trauma 2, "How far along?" Owen frowned, nodded, and lowered his voice, "26 weeks." Jo took in a deep breath before entering the trauma room.

"You, resident, get over here. I need your hands _now_!" Dr. Hermann snapped. Jo followed the instructions, offering her assessment as she began using the instruments, "Looks like you need suction and retraction." Hermann nodded, "Good. You have a brain. I need you to begin by placing a fetal monitor on the mother, then begin monitoring the babies. Their heartbeats may or may not be in sync. Make sure you are distinguishing them and that both babies are steady." Jo nodded. Once she completed that task, the duo continued to work on stopping the mother's abdominal bleeding.

Hermann worked on the area surrounding the uterus, "Her organs are displaced from the pregnancy, you see that? The diaphragm is pushed up toward the lungs and the stomach is further right." Jo nodded toward a portion of the mother's body as she took in the scene and Hermann's observations, "Is that her gallbladder?" Hermann nodded, "What else would it be? Yes, it is." Jo nodded, feeling like an idiot. As she examined an area of the liver, Jo noticed a bleeder and began to clamp it, "Dr. Hermann, here's a major source of bleeding. I've clamped it. Would you prefer to repair it or shall I?" Hermann looked intently at Jo, "Do it now, as long as you know what you're doing. And don't screw it up." Jo stitched the spot and thoroughly checked around it for additional injuries. The mother's and babies' heart rates slowed to more normal levels and all BPs began to stabilize. Hermann, finishing a minor repair, stated, "Dr…what's your name?" Jo responded, "Wilson. Jo Wilson." Hermann continued, "Dr. Wilson, I believe you just saved this woman and her babies from more invasive and delicate surgery. Good job. Very good job. What year are you?" Jo answered, "Third." Hermann issued a rare compliment, "Impressive."

While Jo was operating, Alex was home fretting. He had placed candles throughout the entry way, living room, kitchen and dining area. His plan was to light them around 7:45. He'd considered cooking a meal on his own, but he knew his limitations and didn't want to screw it up. Instead, he'd ordered for a local restaurant. The food was set to arrive at ten to 8. About every 2-3 minutes, Alex nervously checked his watch and then confirmed that the engagement ring he planned to give Jo was still in his pocket. He was incredibly eager for 8pm and for Jo to arrive.

Hermann encouraged Jo to close the patient. She observed and commented positively on her stitching, and also taught her a few techniques. Jo picked them up quickly and without an error. At the nurses' station after the surgery, Dr. Hermann put her hand on Jo's shoulder as they approached Owen. "Chief, you have the makings of a fine, fine surgeon here." Owen smiled proudly, and Jo flushed with embarrassment. Stephanie, who was sitting at the computer, dropped her pen as she heard Hermann's positive words. Jo responded, "Thank you, Dr. Hermann. It was an honor to assist." Hermann characteristically responded, "A little ass kissing never hurt, Wilson, but it's your surgical performance that impressed me the most," then, turning to Owen, Hermann continued, "Chief, I would welcome this resident into my OR at any time." Owen responded with assurance, "I'll make note of that Nicole. Nice work, Wilson."

Jo walked up to the resident's locker room as if she was walking on a cloud. She beamed from ear to ear and couldn't wait to tell Alex what had happened. As she gathered her purse and jacket, Stephanie walked in and exclaimed, "You are amazing! I have never seen Hermann so positive about anyone. Let me buy you a drink before you go home! We need to celebrate." Jo checked her watch and saw that it was 7:15, then responded, "I have time for one drink, then I need to get home. Alex asked me three times today if I'd be home around 8, so don't let me lose track of time."

The two walked over to Joe's and sat with some other residents. They ordered beers and Steph insisted on ordering Jo a shot of tequila to celebrate. Jo reluctantly agreed. Stephanie kept celebrating Jo's accomplishments with Hermann and sharing the words Hermann expressed to the Chief. The other residents celebrated with Jo and also chided her here and there. Everyone at the table took a turn buying Jo a shot and offering either a sarcastic or funny toast. As time passed and shots were consumed, Jo completely lost track of time. Since the bar was so loud, she didn't hear her phone ring each time Alex had tried to call or text.

Alex tried once again to text Jo, but received no response. He had already called the hospital and confirmed that Jo had left a little after 7. The nurse he spoke to mentioned that Jo left with Stephanie, so Alex tried Steph's number multiple times as well. Alex nibbled at the food that had been delivered on time, and he stared at the candles that were melting and burning down.

Back at the bar, Jo looked at her watch and saw that it was 9:30pm. "Oh, crap! I have to get home. I told Alex I'd be home around 8. Who's sober enough to drive me home?" One of her fellow residents offered to take her home. She didn't realize that getting Jo to the car would be such a challenge, however. Jo felt the need to talk to each person she passed. Her wobbly, drunken legs caused her to sway as she made her way toward the door. As they arrived at the car and her friend opened the passenger door, Jo hugged her tightly and gushed, "I love you. I'm so thankful for you. You are really an amazing friend, you know that?" Her sober friend chuckled and then took Jo home. As they pulled into the driveway, Jo insisted she could get into the house without assistance, so her friend simply watched from the car to make sure Jo made it inside.

Jo entered the house, exclaiming loudly and amused with herself, "Hi, honey, I'm home!" Alex came rushing in from the kitchen and asked with concern and a hint of anger, "Where the hell have you been?" Jo walked over to him and smoothed his collar, flirting and lowering her voice, "Am I in trouble?" Alex tightened his jaw and carefully moved her hands off his neck, saying with frustration, "You're late, and you're drunk." Jo giggled and commented, "What smells so delicious?" and headed off to the kitchen with Alex following behind her. As Jo nibbled on the food on the counter, she tried to hug Alex. Alex rebuffed her effort and folded his arms, "I tried calling the hospital. I tried your cell phone a bunch of times. I tried Stephanie's cell phone. You knew we were supposed to meet up around 8." Jo leaned toward him, almost losing her balance, and gave him her best pouty face, "I'm sooooo sorry, Alex."

Alex rolled his eyes and responded, "Dammit, Jo. How hard would it have been to call?!" Jo brought her hand up to Alex's hair, but Alex brushed her away as his anger mounted. Jo observed, "Wow. I am in trouble." She tried to look at him seriously and noticed his eyes were fuming. Trying her very best to be serious, she reasoned without taking a breath, "I ended up in this amazing trauma with Dr. Hermann and I found the main source of a huge bleed and she told Dr. Hunt how talented I am and Steph heard and insisted we go celebrate and I lost track of time and everyone kept buying me shots." Alex responded by keeping his jaw tight, his brow down, and his arms folded. Then Jo looked at him and simply couldn't hold it together any more. She broke out laughing and shared, "Do you realize how incredibly adorable you are when you're angry?" She reached up to his hair and messed it up as she giggled. Of course, none of her efforts impressed Alex.

Alex let out a large and audible sigh and then yelled, "Jo, I am so pissed right now." Jo took a step toward him and nuzzled her head into his neck, whispering, "Would you feel better if we went upstairs?" She reached for his belt and attempted to unbuckle it, but her current state wasn't helping her agility. Alex grabbed a nearby wooden spoon and barely touched her behind with it, cracking a grin. Jo pretended that it hurt and intentionally over-reacted before kissing him and giggling. After a minute or two, Alex's lips backed away from Jo's and he looked her in the eye, softly saying, "I'm still mad, you know." Jo smiled and suggested, "Well, then we'd better get upstairs."

The next morning, Jo felt absolutely horrible. She woke up before Alex and stumbled downstairs with her hair askew and her face pale as a ghost. Big bags weighed down her eyes as she looked at the kitchen, taking in the candles and the beautifully set table. She noticed that the candles were burnt down to nubs, that the place settings were pristine and untouched, and that some prep dishes were awaiting an empty dishwasher. After running to the bathroom to throw up, she came back to drink some water and let out a giant sigh. Even though her head was pounding and her memory was fuzzy, she knew without any doubt that she'd shown up late last night, and Alex had been frustrated by that. The least she could do was clean up what would've been a romantic dinner.

She began cleaning, starting by emptying the dishwasher. Between grabbing plates and glasses, she had to throw up again. Her routine became fairly predictable as she cleaned a little, then ran to the bathroom over and over. Even so, she was determined to clean the area as a way to begin apologizing for the night before.

As she returned once again from the bathroom, she noticed a crumpled up note card on the floor. She reached down to pick it up and sat down to examine it. Uncrumpling the note, Jo saw Alex's scrawls written around the symptom and disorder statements on either side of an old med school flash card. She noticed that there were short phrases peppered all over the paper. As she went to read the notes, she heard Alex come down the stairs. She set the card on the table, stood up and began cleaning again.

Alex stopped in the threshold and leaned against it, declaring to Jo, "You look like crap." Jo's head tilted downward as she softly laughed and responded, "I feel like crap." Alex grinned and asked, "What are you doing?" Jo explained, "I figure the least I can do is clean up. I'm so sorry I didn't call last night. I'm so sorry you worked so hard to surprise me with what looks like an amazing dinner…" Jo stopped suddenly, put her hand up toward Alex with a 'just a minute' gesture and ran to the bathroom.

When she returned, Alex had poured her some ginger ale and was waiting in the doorway with it. He handed it to her as he stroked her Medusa-like hair, trying to introduce some semblance of control to her tangled mess. He said calmly and quietly, "Well, I'm still mad, but since that hangover is raging and kicking your butt, I'm willing to cut you some slack." He grinned and hugged his miserable girl, then explained, "Jo, it's not about the dinner and all the work. I was worried. I was afraid something had happened to you. I called the hospital and they told me you'd left. I didn't think to call Joe's because you'd assured me you were coming right home after your shift. I tried your cell numerous times and you didn't answer or text back." Jo leaned into Alex as he continued to hug her, then he continued, "I was worried, and, dammit, I don't usually worry, so I'm not very good at it. When you came home all loopy and goofy, I was pretty ticked."

Jo's reddened, bloodshot eyes filled with tears as she looked at Alex and placed a hand on his cheek, "I'm sorry. I should've called. I am so truly sorry." Alex gently grasped her face in both his hands and looked directly at her, saying, "Just promise me you'll do two things next time. One: call me. Pick up a phone, any phone, and just let me know you're safe." Jo nodded, then asked, "And the second thing?" Alex grinned and continued, "Don't you dare ever tell anyone that I said I was worried." Jo gently laughed and agreed, "Deal."

Alex patted Jo on her back and insisted, "Now go to bed. Seriously. You look pathetic and belong in bed. I'll clean the rest of this up, and I'll even bring you hangover food." Jo smiled and shared, "I love you, Alex Karev." Alex kissed her forehead and repeated, "Go to bed." Jo went upstairs and snuggled into Alex's side of the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

Alex sat down at the table and picked up the notecard that he thought he'd left in the spot where it lay. He read it and saw his notes that said _You are the best thing that's ever happened to me_ written next to _You bring out the best in me_ and _We get each other better than any other couple I know. _Underlined and starred at the bottom of the card, he read his nervous note to himself _After all that, then__ Will you marry me?_

Voiceover [Alex]: _There is a phrase we've all heard and all used: the best laid plans. We don't even complete the phrase. When we hear those four words, we know the truth they hold without even hearing the entire original saying, 'the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.' Sometimes we lay all the groundwork, we plan and over-plan, only to have it all change by something out of our control. How we respond is up to us. We can throw a fit, we can rage, or we can decide to simply make new plans and reschedule our hopes for another day._


	5. Chapter 5: I Live My Life for You

**I Live My Life For You**

Voiceover [Meredith]: _This hospital has a way of weaving couples together. Regardless of how unattached new interns, doctors, nurses, phlebotomists, even custodians are, this building has some sort of fairy dust floating in the air. Whether you're looking for lifelong love, a one night stand or anything in between, this place seems to work its magic. In these hallways, naïve interns grow up and become skilled specialists. In on call rooms and supply closets…well, we all know about those. But, really, in the end, what people find here most often is love._

Jo and Alex snuggled in bed, neither wanting to leave the other's grasp. Jo leaned her head back onto Alex's shoulder as he lay behind her and asked, "Can you give me a ride today? I need to be in at 7." Alex stroked her long hair and caressed her shoulder, "Why?" Jo explained with exasperation, "My car broke down…again. It's in the shop, and I can't afford to spring it until payday." Alex rested his forehead on the back of Jo's head, "Your car is a piece of crap." Jo turned onto her back and looked at her handsome man with a smile, "Well, that piece of crap is all I own."

Alex chuckled, remembering all the problems he used to have with his Camaro during residency. He thought to himself, _Thank God, I don't have to stress out so much about money anymore. _He leaned toward Jo and began to lay on top of her, "I don't have to be in until noon. Just take my car." Jo sat up quickly, foiling Alex's plans, and beamed, "Take? You'll let me drive your Audi? Sweet!" She kissed him quickly and slid out from under his arms. Alex fell onto his back and called out as Jo entered the shower, "Keys are on the counter." Jo called back with a laugh, "Ok. I'm getting ready and getting out of here before you change your mind." Alex grumbled to himself and then became lost in his thoughts about Jo and how much he adored her. Sometimes it almost scared him to realize how much he loved her and wanted her. He got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom, "Can I join you?" Jo opened the shower door and grabbed a towel, "I couldn't hear you, what?" As she asked for clarification, she rushed around beginning to get ready. Alex's shoulders fell in disappointment as he climbed into the shower like an abandoned puppy, "Nothing."

In the resident's locker room, Jo caught up with Stephanie. "How much is that stupid car going to cost you this time?" Steph asked as she checked in with her friend. Jo took off her shirt and threw on a scrub top, "I have no idea. Haven't heard back from the mechanic. But Alex let me drive his car in today – I kind of felt like a kid getting to drive Daddy's fancy car." Stephanie responded with a hint of sarcasm, "Oh, you poor thing. Sounds like First World girlfriend problems to me." Jo smiled and rolled her eyes.

Back at the house, Alex had finished his shower and eaten breakfast. He called Meredith, surprised she hadn't called him yet. Somehow, she'd made it past 8am without needing her person. _Miracle_, he thought. Meredith answered, "Alex, I was just going to call you." Alex grinned and jumped right in to his request, "Hey Mer, can I use your parking spot today?" Meredith's brow furrowed as she packed the diaper bag, "Umm…sure…I guess. Don't you like your own spot two spaces away?" Alex grimaced and, sounding a bit annoyed, said, "No. My spot is fine. I bought Jo a car, and the dealership is delivering it today. I need a place to park it because she drove my car in this morning."

Mer cooed, relishing the opportunity to give Alex a hard time, "Alexxxxx…how sweet of you. This relationship is getting pretty serious – you've moved on from buying her coffee to picking up the lunch tab to letting her drive your car to _buying _her a car?!" Alex characteristically responded, "Shut up, Mer, and, yes, I'm buying her a car. Whatever. She needs it and I can afford it. It's no big deal." Mer laughed and chided, "No big deal? If Derek had bought me a car before we were engaged or married, I would've considered that pretty significant." Alex corrected her, "If he'd bought you a car then, you would've run like hell." Meredith exclaimed, "Ha! You're probably right." Then Meredith brought the conversation back around and said, "Yeah, take my spot today, you practical, no big deal, non-romantic guy. But, first, you have to answer one question." Alex, perturbed, asked, "What?" Meredith giggled and asked, "So have you bought her a ring?" Alex rolled his eyes and thought it might have been easier to ask Jackson or even Webber, "Goodbye, Mer."

Alex hung up the phone and then called Samuel Harrington, his banker, to confirm that the funds for the car had been wired. Samuel assured him, "Yes, Dr. Karev, the funds were transferred yesterday. Will we see you and Dr. Wilson later today? We still have papers to sign so she can be added to your account." Alex facepalmed and responded, "Right. Yes, we'll get over there this afternoon. Thanks for wiring the car payment."

Alex's next call was to the car dealer. He spoke to the salesman he'd been working with and explained, "My girlfriend ended up taking my car this morning. Would it be possible to have the car delivered to my home instead of to the hospital?" Willing to do anything for his big spending client, the salesman made a note and assured Alex the car would arrive at his house within the hour. It had already been detailed and made ready, so Alex's timing was perfect.

Awhile later, Alex drove toward the hospital in a brand new, red Scion FR-S. He was incredibly proud of himself and couldn't help but chuckle as he stopped to buy enough gas cards to fill the glove box. He strutted into the hospital and found Jo up in the NICU. He came up behind her, adjusted his stethoscope to listen to the baby she was working on, and softly put one hand on the small of Jo's back, "How's she doing?" Jo smiled gently, "The nurse said she had a really good night. Swelling is down significantly, and BP is stabilized." Alex nodded, "Heart sounds good, too. Great improvement. Is her mom here yet?" Jo shook her head, "I haven't seen her. I'm sure she'll be here soon. She usually comes in about 9." Jo paused, remembering Alex saying he didn't have to be in until noon, "I thought you were coming in later." Alex grinned, "Well, I missed you. I'd rather be here early and be with you." Jo smiled broadly and fixed her gaze on Alex, who asked, "Hey, let's meet up for lunch. How about at 11:30?" Jo nodded in agreement.

The couple met up in the hospital cafeteria for lunch. When Jo walked in, Alex had already found a table. Jo grabbed some food and headed over to him. As she approached, she leaned down to kiss him, "Hi, handsome." Alex blushed ever so slightly, saying, "Hi, beautiful. Hey, we have a bunch of details to talk about." Jo began to eat her salad and said, "Ok. Like what?"

Alex began to explain, "Remember the other day when I met with the lawyer?" Jo, mouth full, nodded. Alex continued, "Well, apparently, the way to set up the ownership of the shares to the hospital is complicated. I shouldn't own them individually because then there's more risk if I screwed up and was sued." Jo listened and said, "Ok. I know nothing about this kind of stuff." Alex nodded, "Yeah, I'm learning as I go. Anyway, the dude is setting me up as a private corporation, and I told him to put you on the paperwork as my partner." Jo looked at him with confusion, "So what's that mean?" Alex blew it off, saying, "It's really no big deal. It just protects the corporation if something happens to me. That way, you can get at the assets if I croak or fall off a cliff. The hospital shares will be owned by the PC and are taxed through it, which Shepherd tells me is the way to set it up and the lawyer agreed."

Jo shrugged, grinned, and said, "Well, ok. I guess I'll be your partner in crime." Alex rolled his eyes and said, "So that's one thing. There's more." Jo raised her eyebrows, wondering what else he was going to throw her way, "Ok. What?" Alex explained, "Well, remember the morning I met with the Board and you took those messages?" Jo, having just put another bite of salad in her mouth, nodded. "Well, that Harrington guy, he's a banker I've been working with. We've set up my regular bank account so we can add your name to it. It's no big deal – it'll just make it easier to buy groceries and crap like that." Jo leaned back, "Wait. What? You're adding me to your accounts? As in money? I dunno, Alex. That feels like a big step. We haven't even talked about it. First, I'm your business partner and now we're pooling our money?" Alex added, "Well, as an attending I make like 10 times what a resident makes, so really, we'll be combining my pool and your puddle of money."

Jo ignored his joke and hesitated, "It'll be like we're married." Alex grinned, "Well, yeah, kind of. What's wrong with that?" Jo grasped his hand in hers, "Nothing's wrong with that. You're just surprising me more and more each time you open your mouth." Alex downplayed the signature authority, "It's just so if you need to pick up my jacket or grab some groceries, you don't have to hassle with asking me for money. Then it won't matter if it's close to payday and you're out of money or not." Jo responded quizzically, "I guess." Alex reassured her, "I want to do this…for us. What's mine is yours. I trust you." Jo lowered her chin and raised her eyebrows, "Those are some big words from someone like us." Alex shrugged, "I guess. Whatever. I mean, hell, my money is in better hands with you than it is with me." Jo continued in a bit of a daze, "Ok, it's fine. It's just that when I sat down, I thought we were eating lunch, not planning the rest of our lives."

Alex fixed his gaze on Jo and held it for about 30 long seconds, "I love you. You already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. This is just all the bullshit stuff that comes along with that." Jo laughed and responded dryly, "I love it when you're romantic." Alex smiled and said, "Now, brace yourself, because I'm still not done." Jo gestured broadly with her arms, "Bring it on, what more could you possibly have to share?!"

Alex paused and said nothing, continuing to look at Jo. She looked out the corner of her eye and said, "Well?" Alex looked away and mumbled, "I'm trying to figure out where to begin." Jo looked at him with anticipation as Alex went on, "I need to tell you some details from the Board meeting." Alex offered. He described the interim agreement that had been made and how he had received a significant check the afternoon of the meeting. Jo just about fell out of her chair when he shared the amount, and Alex agreed with a laugh, "I know, right? Seriously." Jo's eyes widened as she leaned back and slowly took the news in, "Yeah…"

"Oh, before I forget," Alex said, reaching in to his pocket. "So, there's a car for you in my spot. Here are the keys." Alex thought he was simply being casual, clear, and matter-of-fact about having bought her a car. Jo, on the other hand, assumed he'd rented her something like the last time her car was in the shop. Jo grasped the keys and said without much flair, "Ok. Thanks, Alex." Alex, glad she wasn't making a big deal out of it, nodded and said, "Sure. No problem. It's red. Parked in Meredith's spot. Fun little car." Jo tilted her head and smiled, "Thanks."

Jo, noticing she'd done most of the listening, nodded down to Alex's tray and said, "You need to eat." Alex pushed the tray away and mumbled, "Yeah, I'm not as hungry as I thought." Jo glanced at him with suspicion, "That's not at all like you." Alex looked away and happened to catch Mer's eye. She pointed down at her ring finger and raised her eyebrows, non-verbally asking him if he'd told her about Izzy yet. Alex tightened his jaw and subtly shook his head. "What's that about?" Jo asked. Alex looked up, reengaging with Jo, "What?" Jo lowered her brow and explained, "You looked like you just nodded or something." Without any detail, Alex simply responded, "Hmmm."

Jo smiled and leaned her head closer to Alex's face, asking "Is everything ok?" Alex rubbed his hands on his face and shook his head around, cracking his neck, "It's been a weird week and a hectic morning. I'm ok. Just seems like we haven't had much time to talk and I've got all this business crud to talk to you about." Jo looked at him in agreement, "It has been a crazy week full of all sort of details."

The two finished their lunches without any additional conversation. Alex reached over to grab Jo's tray for her and kissed her on the cheek. When he returned, he grasped Jo's hand and suggested, "How about we go over to the bank now and deal with that paperwork? Word on the street is that your supervisor in the NICU is a sucker for your smile. Something tells me he won't mind your extended lunch hour if you bat your eyes at him and grab his ass when you return." Jo winked as she held up her pinky and added, "Yeah, I've got him wrapped right here."

When they returned to the hospital, Alex gave Jo a giant hug and said, "I gotta go. Surgery. See you at home around 7?" Jo nodded and smiled softly, watching him walk away. When he reached the elevator and turned to push the button, he looked to his left and saw that Jo watching him. He mouthed, "What?" Her face turned into a big smile and mouthed back, "I love you." The elevator door opened, Alex smiled back at her and lifted his chin as he walked in.

A little after 4, halfway through the surgery, Alex figured Jo was already home. He asked a nurse to call Jo and make sure she'd made it home safely. Really, he wanted to hear her tell him how much she loved the car. The nurse was able to get Jo on the line, who was a bit perplexed why Alex was calling her during surgery, "He's just asking if I made it home safe and sound?" The nurse answered, "Yes, Dr. Wilson, that's what he asked me to find out." Jo spoke slowly because it was so unusual for Alex to call during his surgeries. "Ok," Jo shared, "well, tell him I'm home and all is well. Did he want to talk to me?"

The nurse asked Alex if he wanted her to put the phone to his ear and he nodded, "Hey, I just wanted to make sure the car worked ok and see what you thought of it." Jo asked, "And that couldn't wait until your surgery was over?" He was as eager as a kid in a candy store and gushed, "Well, what did you think of it?" Jo shared, "It's really fun. Thanks again for arranging it and getting it to the hospital for me. It was so thoughtful of you to rent me a car until mine is out of the shop." Alex furrowed his brow and clarified, "Rent it? No, I bought it." Jo was befuddled, "Bought it? You just bought your Audi, and I thought you loved it. Why would you sell it and buy another new car?" Alex grumbled, amused that Jo didn't get it at all, "I'm keeping the Audi. The Scion is all yours." Jo sat down in stunned silence, not responding. The nurse said, "Dr. Karev, the patient's BP is dropping." Alex explained to Jo, "Hey, I gotta go, but I'll be home soon. Love you." Jo, still shocked, replied, "Yeah…love you too."

Jo continued to sit on the couch taking in the day. Since she'd woken up, she'd driven a car worth more than her annual pay, found out about Alex's huge profit sharing check and Board status, signed papers to be a signatory on Alex's account, and agreed to be his business partner in his personal corporation. She still didn't quite understand that last one, and the others caused her to feel completely overwhelmed. She called Stephanie and shared her daze, trying to make sense of it all. Stephanie's frank and steady manner helped Jo soak in everything. "You know, Jo," Stephanie pointed out, "There's really little doubt that he's going to ask you to marry him again. I mean, he has pretty much done all the post-marriage stuff already." Jo nodded, "Yeah, you're right." Steph added, "Except get you pregnant. You're not pregnant, are you?" Jo lowered her shoulders and put her head in her hands, "No, Steph, I'm not pregnant." Stephanie joked, "Well, you might want to double check his plans on that front before he surprises you there, too."

After finishing her conversation with Stephanie, Jo ended up dozing off on the couch and was asleep when Alex came home. He tossed his briefcase on a bench near the front door and stood in the entrance to the living room just gazing at Jo. He wondered if she'd checked out the glove box in the car yet and found all the surprises he'd left. As he leaned against the wall, he looked around the room and imagined the future moments they would share in the house. He envisioned a bunch of kids and a dog running the loop from the kitchen to the living room to the entry and back to the kitchen. He turned and looked at the stairs, wondering if he would walk his daughter down them as she said her own "I do" to some guy Alex wouldn't think was good enough for his baby girl. Then gazing at the front door, he imagined bringing each baby home as he helped Jo inside. His heart was overflowing with emotion and a few tears fell from his eyes.

Alex wiped the tears away and blinked his eyes rapidly as he headed toward Jo. He leaned down to her and rubbed her face with his thumb, "Hey, Josie." Jo opened one eye and stretched as she explained, "Hey. I guess I fell asleep." Alex smiled, "You probably needed the rest." Jo gathered her hair into a ponytail and smiled, "Yeah, I guess so. Kind of an overwhelming day, you know?" In response, Alex smirked and said, "Yeah, maybe I could've spread all that out over a few days or something." Jo shook her head gently, "It's ok, Alex. I have to tell you though, I just can't accept the car as a gift. It's too extravagant."

Alex sat down on the couch next to Jo. His shoulders drooped and his face fell into a pout. Jo continued, "I mean, if you want to _loan _me $500 _with interest _to spring my car from the mechanic, that'd _maybe_ be ok, but buying me a brand new car? It's so much." Alex responded with a hint of disappointment, "But I want to buy you a car. You deserve it." Jo smiled and caressed his chin, "I'm numb and overwhelmed. It's not that I'm not grateful, I'm just not sure how to take this all in.

Alex shrugged, falling back into his everyday persona, "Just accept it. Take it. It's yours. I want to do this for you." Jo smiled softly as she listened. Alex continued, "You know, all my life, I've never been able to do something like this for anyone, and now I can, and I want to give you this extravagant, expensive, overwhelming gift." Tears pooled in Jo's eyes as she nodded and listened to Alex go on, "I want to share all I have with you. We're in this life together, you and me. Let me take care of you." Jo continued to smile as she explained again, "It's just so extravagant, Alex."

Alex countered Jo's resistance by suggesting, "Well, how about this? Someday, when you're making big bucks as a board certified surgeon, _you_ can buy _me_ a new car." The couple laughed as Jo continued to verbally process, "I'm not accustomed to being taken care of by anyone else. I've never really fully known what it is like to be dependent. I'm used to taking care of myself. This is a giant shift in my reality." Alex looked at her flatly, "Yeah, so. Things have changed. We fell in love and I love you and I bought you a car. There you go. Now grab the damn keys, put them on your key ring and pretend you won the lottery if you have to, because the car is yours whether you like it or not."

Jo loved when Alex fell into his seemingly reasonable 'it is what it is' explanations. She chuckled and asked, "But what if something happens between us? Or things get all weird because of the money?" Alex said, with the slightest hint of displeasure, "Then you scored a hell of a parting gift because the car is in your name. Look, you're not my kept woman, and the car is not some sort of complicated bribe, ok? If there's any ulterior motive on my part, maybe it's to get rid of your crappy car that lowers the house's property value when it's parked in the driveway." Jo nodded sharply, "Ok then. Well, thank you. I'm still numb and I'm still stunned, but I'm also deeply grateful. It's way too extravagant, but thank you. I really do love it. It's an adorable car." The couple leaned toward one another to kiss and fell into one another's arms.

Alex eventually came up for air and suggested, "Let's go downstairs and check out _your _car." He bounded out the front door with Jo trailing behind and giggling. "Well, get over here," he motioned as she paused in her bare feet, then he ran over to her and carried her to the car as they both laughed. Alex pointed out all sorts of features and gadgets and then asked her with a fake 'tell me you know what you're doing' tone, "Now did you bother to check the glove box before you drove off from the hospital?" Jo lowered her brow, giggled softly and said, "No, why would I?" Alex pretended to be disgusted, and overacted enough so that Jo knew he was joking, "For the registration and the insurance paperwork. Geez," he concluded rolling his eyes.

Jo shook her head and continued laughing. "Well," Alex urged, "check for it." Jo responded tentatively, "Ok," wondering what he was up to. As she sat in the passenger seat and opened the glove box, about 100 gas cards fell out and she roared with laughter, "Now I'll never run out of gas again!" Alex grinned and encouraged her, "Pull them all out. You still haven't found the paperwork." Jo raised one eyebrow and humored him, uncovering a small velvet box as she cleared the cards away. She paused and looked at Alex who was on one knee at the side of the car. "Umm…oh…" Jo gulped with anticipation. Alex reached into the glove box and opened the tiny velvet box as he filled in her stuttering, "I love you, and I picked a car that's hard to sleep in so you'll know for sure that you'll never have to worry about living in your car again. I want you here, in this house with me, until I die. The only person in the world that I would kneel in my driveway for is you. So here I am, making a fool of myself basically in public, asking if you're brave and crazy enough to put up with me and be my wife." Jo began crying and laughing simultaneously, grasping Alex's face in her hands and kissing him, then saying the word he was hoping to hear, "Yes." After kissing and hugging him, she shared, "Yes, I am brave and crazy enough to put up with you just like you're senseless and bold enough to put up with me. Alex Karev, nothing would make me happier than to be your wife and for you to be my husband."

Voiceover [Derek]: _I met the love of my life in the bar next to the hospital. That night, the fairy dust floated over to Joe's, I guess. My wife likes to say the hospital is magical, that it glues couples together in mysterious ways. Maybe that's true. In this place, the long hours, the shared experiences, the intensity and the teamwork work together to form unimaginable bonds. It's funny, isn't it? In a place founded and based upon science, love conquers all. _


	6. Chapter 6 - Yesterday's News

**Circuitous Route**

**Chapter 6**

**Yesterday's News**

"Alex…" Meredith began slowly as she noticed Alex approaching the sinks outside OR 2. Her greeting was part question, part statement.

"Hey, Mer," Alex responded absent-mindedly as he moved toward the sink and began to scrub.

Before heading to surgery, Meredith had heard a rumor that Alex and Jo were engaged. She was eager to check with Alex about whether or not it was true, but wanted to tread carefully and gauge his mood before proceeding. She leaned toward him and nudged his elbow with hers, expectantly voicing with a soft grin, "So?…"

Alex, slightly perturbed, squinted at her, "What do you mean…so?"

Widening her grin, she dared to ask, "How was your night last night?"

With his brow furrowed and his mouth turned up on one side, he responded with confusion, "Fine."

"There's nothing you might want to…you know, tell me?" Meredith inquired as she stepped toward Alex and fixed her gaze on him.

Without meeting her eyes, Alex continued to scrub, "Don't think so."

"No secrets?" Meredith giggled.

Alex chuckled, "You know me better than that, Mer. Never said I didn't have any secrets." He stepped into the OR and a nurse approached him with surgical gloves. Meredith followed closely behind him.

As they operated, Meredith kept alluding to her suspicion that big news was afoot. At the coffee cart that morning, she'd overheard a few interns gossiping about the ring on Wilson's finger during pre-rounds. None of them had worked up the courage to ask about the ring, but they suspected she was engaged. Although Meredith consistently tried to lure Alex into her banter, he remained focused on the surgery.

Finally, having lost her patience, Meredith demanded, "Alex. Tell me what's going on in your life." Her tone was more maternal than conversational.

Alex's eyes shot up at her and raised his eyebrows, "What the hell?"

"Nothing unusual has happened recently?" Meredith begged.

"Izzy called me. That was weird," Alex said with minimal emotion. Alex went on to tell Meredith how Izzy had called the house and Jo had taken a message. Then he shared Izzy's weird request to have him speak to a potential med student.

Meredith offered, "It sounds to me like Izzy was making an excuse so she could see you."

"Nah," Alex said as he shook his head. "We're ancient history. I told her about Jo. She told me about her work. We've both moved on."

Fishing for more information, Meredith queried, "So Jo knows about Izzy?"

"Not really," Alex explained as he focused on the procedure.

Meredith's eyes widened as she raised her voice in surprise, "What?!"

Alex rolled his eyes as he glanced up quickly, "What do you mean 'what?!'"

Forgetting momentarily that Alex had not confirmed the engagement rumor, Meredith blurted out, "You asked Jo to marry you and you haven't told her about your first marriage? Alex!"

"What makes you think I'm getting married? What do you know that I don't?" he asked with a sly grin. His eyes gleamed above his mask as the corners of his mouth moved upward below the mask.

"You are," Meredith declared. "You're smiling under that mask. Alex Karev is smiling. You've got a secret to share," Meredith celebrated.

Alex commented dryly, "Obviously, it's no secret."

Meredith's eyes sparkled as she remarked, "Congratulations, Alex."

"Yeah, whatever," Alex replied as he returned to the procedure.

"I overheard some talk this morning," Meredith began to explain.

Alex chuckled, "About me and Jo? Who was talking?"

Meredith shrugged, "Some interns noticed her ring during pre-rounds."

This year's interns? They noticed a _ring_? They barely notice a flatline on a monitor," Alex mused.

Meredith pursed her lips and looked at Alex, "Seriously, Alex?"

Alex remained fixated on Jo's decision to wear the engagement ring, "Actually, I can't believe Jo wore the ring to work. I paid a helluva lot of money for that ring. It better not end up falling into some patient during surgery."

"I highly doubt that," Meredith grinned. Changing the subject back to Izzy, Meredith offered, "When are you going to tell Jo about Iz?"

"Does it really matter? Izzy and I were so long ago. Ancient history. Why does it matter now?" Alex rationalized.

Meredith attempted to convince him to be sensible, "Alex, it matters. Imagine if she found out from someone else. You need to tell her."

"How'd Derek tell you about Addison?" Alex asked with naïve curiosity. Back then, he and Meredith didn't share their struggles and celebrations with one another. He'd never heard the story about Addison showing up in the hallways of the hospital out of the blue.

"That might not be your best model," Meredith simmered as she walked out of the room.

At lunchtime, Alex filled a tray with food and headed toward Jo's table. She smiled as she caught sight of him.

"Hey," Alex smiled as he kissed Jo and sat down.

Warmly, Jo responded, "Hi. How was your morning?"

Alex shrugged as he chewed a mouthful of food, offering, "Ok. You?"

"Busy but uneventful," she answered. Jo leaned toward Alex and cocked her head as she gazed, "You seem a million miles away. What's up?"

Alex sighed audibly and leaned back in his chair before sharing, "I need to tell you something." His face was serious and his eyes bore into hers with great intentionality.

With a tentative tone, Jo reasoned, "This seems serious. Is it?"

"I guess," Alex confirmed.

Jo thought aloud, "I can't imagine you're breaking up with me after asking me to be marry you, be a signatory on your account, and become your business partner."

Alex scrunched up his face and confirmed, "Umm…no."

Jo raised her shoulders and gently insisted, "What could be such a big deal that even Alex Karev is uncomfortable saying it?"

Alex chuckled and grinned at her. "Let me just spit it out," he requested but then offered nothing more.

"Alex, just tell me. All this indirect weirdness is annoying," Jo responded.

Alex shrugged and disclosed, "I was married before."

Jo's chin dropped out of shock. She leaned back and rested her head on the back of the chair.

Alex wondered if he should wait for her to respond or if he should keep talking. As if the previous marriage was no big deal, he added some detail, "It was a long time ago when I was a 3rd year resident…"

Jo, her head still on the back of the chair and her eyes gazing toward the ceiling, interrupted and put her hand in the air, "Give me a minute. Alex, I'm not pissed you were married before. I'm pissed I'm only finding out now." The couple sat in silence for a minute or two before Jo leaned forward, narrowed her eyes and shot him a look of shock and frustration, "What the hell, Alex?"

Alex raised his eyebrows and attempted to explain, "Well, it just never came up."

Jo repeated herself, now putting both hands in the air, "Give me a minute, Alex. Just give me a minute." She returned to resting her head on her chair and avoiding eye contact.

Meredith watched from across the cafeteria and sighed. She thought to herself, _Well, it looks like he told her._

Returning to her previous position, Jo sat in the chair with her head back for a long time. Alex, not wanting to upset her even more, sat silently and picked at his lunch. He glanced at her intermittently and anxiously. After two or three minutes, which passed slower than dripping molasses, he offered softly, "I'm sorry and I'm here. I'm not gonna say anything else for now, except to let you know I'm here." He paused and then added, "Unless you want me to go."

Jo did not move, but said softly, "Stay. Just don't talk." The scene continued for a full 15 minutes.

Meredith and Alex caught each other's eyes and Meredith offered a grin filled with pity. Alex just looked at her blankly, not sure what else to say or do. He wished he could run over and ask Meredith for her advice. All the surrounding emotions were swirling around him and, although he'd never admit it, they were beginning to feel overwhelming. _I guess I fucked up and that this was a bigger deal than I thought it would be. Crap, _Alex thought to himself.

Finally, Jo broke the silence while remaining in the same position and not looking at Alex. With an edgy irritation, she challenged, "Do you have a secret family squirreled away somewhere too? Or just an ex-wife?"

"Just an ex-wife," Alex said flatly as he took a bite of salad.

Jo let a few seconds of silence linger before investigating further, "And you were married how long? And when?"

Trying to do the math in his head, Alex looked upward as he calculated but then gave up trying to figure out details, "We were married less than a year. Wedding was near the end of our 3rd year."

Jo nodded very slowly, but her head continued to sit on the back of the chair, "Were you married to that woman that called the other day?"

"Yep. Izzy Stephens," Alex nodded as he moved on to take a bite of his sandwich.

Raising her head and furrowing her brow, Jo declared, "Wow, Alex. Wow. Not telling me about this until this stage of the game feels sneaky and shifty." Jo fixed her gaze on him, awaiting an answer. Alex was reluctant to speak, afraid her hands would reappear in front of his face and shush him. When he did not respond, Jo added, "So, what's the story?"

Alex caught her eye and held his gaze with puppy dog eyes. "We…uh…well, we were kind of dating and then this patient she'd fallen in love with died and I helped her through that. We got a little more serious and then we found out she had a brain tumor. She was pretty sick, and…"

Jo folded her arms. Her smirk communicated that she wasn't buying the story as she interrupted, "Really? This sounds like a bad Lifetime movie. When did this air on TV?"

Looking at her with widened eyes, Alex insisted, "It' true. Check it out with anyone who was around then." He paused as he locked his gaze on Jo, then continued, "As I was saying…she had a brain tumor and went through chemo and then there was another tumor. Mer had asked Iz to plan her wedding to Derek, really just to give Izzy something to do besides feel like crap. Then, they gave us their wedding."

With complete disbelief, Jo inquired, "_Gave _you their wedding?"

"Yeah," Alex confirmed with honesty. "We all thought she was going to die. I loved her, she loved me. They came up with this idea that Iz and I would get married in the church and with the wedding that Iz had planned for Derek and Meredith. Sounds weird, I know. It _was_ weird, but it's my story."

Continuing her doubt, Jo requested clarification, "You married her on the spur of the moment because she was dying?"

"When you say it like that, it just sounds stupid," Alex shrugged.

"Umm…yeah," Jo confirmed. "And basically, Dr. Shepherd paid for the whole thing?"

"He is a brain surgeon. He makes big bucks," Alex clarified non-chalantly. "I dunno why he did it. Probably because Mer told him to. And it wasn't just spur of the moment – we were pretty serious at that point. We'd been together awhile."

Jo's commentary summed up the story well, "This is so unbelievable that I'm not sure you could make it up."

"That's because I didn't," Alex insisted. "I'm telling you the truth." Putting his hands in front of himself with his palms facing up, he asked, "What else do you want to know?"

"Where was the reception?" Jo quizzed him.

Alex took a deep breath in, "I had to bring her back to the hospital. She was exhausted. Then her hair started falling out, I shaved her head, and I told her how beautiful my wife was. I climbed into her bed here at the hospital and held her until she fell asleep. See? I'm not a total ass."

Jo found herself unexpectedly teary, "That's really beautiful, Alex." Her shoulders softened their formerly stiff appearance and her eyes communicated compassion.

"Whatever, don't get all mushy," Alex grimaced.

Jo watched Alex play with the food that remained on his tray as she imagined the pain he must have gone through. Then she shifted back into her previous mood and wondered aloud, "Why did you break up? What happened?"

"It's complicated. Basically, she wasn't taking care of herself and I didn't have time to be her nurse. She was trying to return to surgery full bore and I told the Chief she wasn't up to it. She was fired. When she found that out, she left me. Then, after months of ignoring me, she tried to come back once she'd heard I was moving on. I told her I deserved better than that and that she needed to go," Alex shared as he looked away with a distant expression recalling the pain and sadness. Softly, he mumbled, "She left me then I broke up with her when she came back. It was tough. It sucked."

"Wow," Jo uttered slowly.

Reaching for Jo's hand, Alex grasped it lightly and continued, "Look, all that stuff with Iz was a really long time ago. A whole other life. I really didn't think it was a big deal to tell you all that, but then Mer told me I'd be stupid not to."

Jo glimpsed up at Alex and said, "I'm glad you told me. I just wish you'd told me this a long time ago."

"I know. I'm sorry," Alex apologized. He squeezed her hand and grinned, "So we're good?"

Jo smiled and blinked slowly, "Yes. We're good."

"Cause there's one more piece," Alex explained.

"Seriously?" Jo asked.

Alex shifted in his seat, "Well, you know how she called the other day?"

"Uh huh," Jo confirmed.

"She's actually coming to Seattle for a few days and arrives today." Alex held up his finger to shush any response, "but before you get steamed, you need to know I'm honestly not just telling you all this because she's coming here. All the shit has hit the fan at once and life has been so crazy with the Board stuff and the legal corporation papers and the proposal and Izzy's phone call and your car…"

Jo interrupted with insistence, "Don't try to blame me or my car for your chaos, pal."

"Fair enough," Alex agreed. He leaned over to her and paused, asking, "Can I please kiss you?"

Jo rolled her eyes and admitted, "Damn you. You're adorable when you're in trouble." She leaned toward Alex and they kissed. Jo put forward, "This doesn't mean I'm over my disappointment."

"I know. I'm sorry," he apologized again. He assured Jo, "Just remember you've got me. She doesn't." Alex asked for Jo's input regarding what he did next. He could introduce her to Izzy, blow Izzy off and not see her, or whatever she preferred. Jo assured Alex that she had no issues with Alex seeing Izzy. As far as meeting Izzy, Jo could really go either way.

Having observed the entire conversation, Meredith let out a giant sigh of relief as she watched the drama come to a close. As she gazed across the room at Alex and Jo, a familiar voice popped up behind her as hands went onto her shoulders and hugged her, "Meredith!"

Mer looked back to see Izzy, "Izzy…wow. Hi! Have a seat."

"It's like old times, huh? Only…Cristina isn't here being sarcastic and George isn't here full of angst, and Alex…is he around?" Izzy beamed.

Meredith nodded and said, "Don't look behind you. Really. Don't. Alex is across the room with his girlfriend. You can check her out later."

"Will my looking at her turn her to stone or something?" Izzy giggled and asked with surprise, "Why are you so weird about me seeing her?"

Shaking her head, Meredith explained, "It's not that I don't want you to see her. It's that Alex just told her about you. I don't want Jo to see _you. _Let that happen on Alex's timeline."

Izzy looked seriously at Meredith and asked, "How's he look? Is he doing well?"

Meredith frowned at Izzy, "Don't go there, Iz. He has fully moved on. Don't start pining."

"I'm not," Izzy laughed awkwardly and exclaimed unconvincingly. A pause lingered before Izzy mused, "He's just now telling her about me?"

Meredith grimaced, "That's our Alex."

At a nearby table, Jo and Alex's pagers both sounded for the NICU. As they ran past Meredith's table, Alex slowed for a step or two, caught Izzy's eye, and called out, "Jo! I'll meet you up there." Jo looked back with confusion and nodded her head.

As Alex approached the table slowly, he held up his pager to communicate he couldn't stay. Izzy nodded and smiled as her entire heart warmed at the sight of Alex. Alex was too distracted to notice that a tiny part of his heart skipped a beat. "Hi, Iz," Alex offered as a slight sadness slipped from the deepest part of his eyes. He didn't hug her or come too closely. Instead, he stood about two full steps from the table with his hands on his hips. "I…uh…I'm the attending on this call," Alex explained as he fumbled with his pager. He frowned and nodded, "I can't leave a resident to deal with this alone. I'll…uh…see ya, ok?"

Izzy beamed, "Maybe at Joe's afterward? Is Joe's still the spot?"

Alex grinned, "Yeah, sure. Mer, I'll see you there too?" Alex's eyes communicated _Please be there too._

Meredith grinned without response as Alex excused himself to answer his page.


	7. Chapter 7 - Meet the Wives

**Chapter 7 – Jolex**

**Meet the Wives**

"Really?!" Alex barked at the intern. "You paged both of us for jaundice?!"

Softly and near his ear, Jo grumbled, "Alex, stop."

"You got this?" he snapped at Jo with frustration.

Jo nodded and softly responded, "Yeah. Go."

"I'll be across the street. Meet me there?" Alex mumbled so only Jo would hear him. Jo nodded as she began instructing the intern on what to do next. She was trying to embrace a calm and friendly demeanor so she could balance out Alex's yelling.

Alex darted to the Attendings' Lounge, tossed off his scrubs, and took a quick shower. As he was getting dressed and fussing with his hair more than normal, he thought to himself, _What the hell am I doing? I'm just gonna have a beer with Iz and Mer. _He stepped away from the mirror, then turned back around and primped a little more. He threw on his jacket and headed across the street to the bar.

Meredith had seen Jackson in the hallway and invited him to join them. Since April was stuck in a surgery and they'd ridden in together that day, Jackson was quick to accept the offer. On their way out the door, they saw Maggie and talked her into to joining them too.

Maggie attempted to sort out what they'd just shared with her as they introduced Izzy, "So you were a resident with Karev, Yang, and Meredith…"

Jackson interjected, "And April and me."

Nodding, Maggie double checked, "And you were married to _Alex_?"

"Yep," Izzy answered with a smile. "Feels like eons ago." The bell on the door rang as Alex stepped in with a vacant expression as he looked for the group. He spotted them as he scanned the room and smiled broadly when he caught Izzy's eye.

"I…I just can't see the two of you together," Maggie pondered aloud. Jackson caught Maggie's eye and nodded with subtle understanding.

Jackson leaned over the Meredith and mumbled curiously, "Hmmm…Alex with a big smile." Meredith giggled quietly, then Jackson finished his observation, slowly asking with concern, "What. Do. You. Make. Of. That?"

She instantly stopped giggling as her heart sunk. _What did Alex's big grin mean?_ "Oh crap…" Meredith voiced with a pasted on smile and without moving her lips.

"What?" Jackson asked Meredith quietly.

Still smiling, Meredith mumbled with distress in her voice, "He's going to kiss Izzy."

Alex reached the table and picked Izzy up off her barstool with a giant hug as he moved in a circle and exclaimed, "Izzy! Holy crap, it's great to see you." Izzy reveled in his embrace as she returned it and laughed. Alex stopped twirling around and they were face-to-face with only inches between their lips. As Izzy slowly leaned in toward his face, Alex smiled softly, set her down, patted her back, took a big step backward, and said nicely, "It really is great to see you, Iz." Alex turned to the whole group and asked, "Hey, guys, I'm going to grab a beer. Anyone need anything?"

Jackson threw some pretzels in his mouth and joked, "Yeah, I need you to greet me that way, man."

"Shut up," Alex frowned as he shook his head and drifted toward the bar. The group laughed as if no time had passed since they last gathered at the bar.

Maggie leaned toward Meredith and observed, "I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that."

"Yeah, he usually doesn't. Looks kind of goofy, huh?" Jackson responded in Meredith's stead.

The bells at the door rang again and Jo came through the door with nearly worn off makeup and her hair up in a messy ponytail. Alex looked toward the door when he heard the bells and beamed when he saw her. He waved his hand and hollered to get her attention, "Jo!"

Izzy had fixed her gaze on Alex, watching him as he stood at the bar. When he called out to Jo, Izzy's eyes shifted to the door. "Oh my…" Izzy voiced slowly and with surprise, "Is that teenager his fiancée?"

Jackson had just swallowed a gulp of beer. He responded, "Yeah. She's a resident. Jo Wilson. She's badass."

Jo bumbled over to Alex with a spring in her step and a huge smile. When she reached him, she hugged him and kissed him. As they kissed, Alex put his hand on her ass and pulled her in tight. "Hey," he said with a smile.

"You're in a good mood," she laughed.

"Yeah, well, I pawned this clueless intern off on my resident. Helps me get rid of the stress," he explained with a grin.

She still had her hand on one of his shoulders as she laughed and gave him a bad time, "Oh, yeah? That's gotta be a form of harassment or violate some sort of labor law."

Alex motioned for another beer as Joe filled the one Alex had already ordered. Then he slipped onto the barstool while they waited and gave her a sideways grin as he offered dryly, "Residents have no legal protection. That's why they sleep with their bosses. It's the only way to make it through."

Jo laughed, put her hands on Alex's cheeks and rested her forehead on his. Alex leaned fully toward her and kissed her, then Joe interrupted, "Here you go, lovebirds." In response, Alex shrugged and Jo smiled.

"Hey, Karev," Joe the bartender called out.

Jo sat down at a barstool where they stopped and Joe the bartender asked him, "So…uh…Isn't that your ex over there?"

"Yep, it's all good," Alex dismissed. Alex walked back over to where Jo sat and stood close to her. "My ex is over there with Mer, Avery, and Pierce. Wanna come meet her?"

Jo faked a smile that Alex saw through immediately. Through unmoving lips, she responded, "Not especially. It's awkward enough to hang with the attendings."

Alex, whose back was to the group, looked at Jo with puppy dog eyes and he sat next to Jo on a barstool, "How's yellow baby?"

"Alex, it's fine with me if you want to go visit with her and hang out with your colleagues," Jo reassured him.

"Oh, I know," Alex shifted in his seat, "but it's rude to buy you a beer and ditch you. If you don't want to go over there, then we'll hang here."

"Now I feel like the bitchy girlfriend," Jo explained.

"Why?" he asked with a wrinkled brow.

"Never mind. Really. Go visit with her. You see me all the time," Jo insisted.

"Nope," Alex declared. "Besides, I like sitting with you," he added with a smirk. "You didn't answer my question: how's yellow baby?"

Jo laughed, "Don't call her 'yellow baby.' Actually her eyes are pretty discolored too. She's under a lamp right now and Dr. Robbins is watching her."

Alex nodded and sipped his beer, "Good."

Izzy came walking up behind Alex and introduced herself, even though Meredith and Jackson had tried to talk her out of doing so. She flashed a big smile and extended her hand, "Hi. I'm Izzy Stephens. You must be Jo." Alex rolled his eyes and looked at Izzy with a dissatisfied glance.

Jo smiled and shook her hand, responding, "I am. Jo Wilson. Alex's fiancée. Nice to meet you."

"Iz, we were talking about a patient. I'll be over there in a bit," Alex said flatly.

Izzy smiled and explained with discomfort, "Oh, yeah, I was just grabbing another glass of wine and saying hi on my way. See you later. Jo, nice to meet you."

Alex turned around and shot Meredith a look, raising his eyebrows and tightening his lips. Meredith slightly shrugged one shoulder and moved the side of her head that direction. Jackson offered, "He's pissed that we didn't stop her."

"Are the two of you in charge of controlling his ex-wife? That seems ridiculous," Maggie commented.

Jackson took the last swig of his beer, stood up to go get another, and agreed, "Yep. Pretty much. You need anything?"

"I'm good," Maggie answered. Jackson walked past Jo and said hi, then continued walking until he was standing next to Izzy.

Alex looked at Jo, put his arm around her waist, and said, "C'mon. Let's just go over there for 10 minutes and then go home and have sex."

Jo shook her head, "I love a man with such a strong commitment to romance and foreplay." She laughed, grabbed his hand and headed toward the table.

"Hi Wilson," Meredith offered with a smirk.

"Hi. Dr. Grey. Dr. Pierce," Jo grinned awkwardly.

"I don't think there's enough seats. I'll just stand," Alex offered as he stood very close to Jo and put his arm around her.

Meredith turned her head to the side and asked, "What are you trying to prove, Alex?"

"Huh? Nothing," he responded. "I'm just not stealing anyone's seat."

Izzy and Jackson came back to the table roaring about a story from residency. Jackson said, "Oh my gosh, I'd forgotten all about that. Then Alex went in the patient's room and…" Jackson couldn't finish his sentence without hysterics.

Laughing just as hard, Izzy laughed, "Right? And then Cristina came down there and snapped at all of us." Meredith and Alex both chuckled as they figured out which story the two were telling. Izzy concluded, "Seriously!"

Alex, Mer and Jackson simultaneously echoed, "Seriously." Then they and Izzy burst into more roaring laughter while Maggie and Jo exchanged confused glances.

Izzy giggled as she went to take a sip from her wine glass. She put the glass back down and started in again, "Then the time we were all standing there in front of the Chief and everyone said they were the one who cut the L-VAD but Alex said he didn't do anything and was totally innocent. Helpful, Alex."

"Hey! I told the truth," Alex chuckled and retorted with a grin, "The best was the time Kepner flipped out on Hunt in the trauma drill. Remember, she started the ambulance and told him to move or she was gonna run him down."

Meredith added her input, "What about the guy who watched porn to control his pain? What was it? Nasty Nurses or something like that?"

Izzy and Alex recited together, "Nasty Naughty Nurses Four." Then everyone roared in laughter once again.

"Man, your residency stories sound a hell of a lot funnier than any of mine," Jo joked.

Alex squeezed her and kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, "You ok?" Jo turned her head to look at him and smiled with an affirmative nod. Izzy happened to catch the exchange out of the corner of her eye as a tinge of sadness pulled her shoulders down.

"Wilson, we _were _magic, after all." Meredith claimed.

Jo looked at Meredith quizzically as Izzy exclaimed, "I haven't thought of that in years! Meredith – Alex – George – Izzy – Cristina!"

"Yeah, so magic that you revived a deer the first day you had interns, Iz." Alex teased. They smiled at each other and held a long glance.

"A deer?!" Jackson asked.

"It was before you guys invaded from Mercy West, but yeah, she was out in the parking lot and she used the paddles on a deer," Alex broke into hysterics as the bells at the door rang and April walked in. She spotted them right away and headed over.

"Wow, this looks like quite the reunion," Kepner smiled as she hugged Izzy, "How are you? It's been ages!"

"I'm good," Izzy stated confidently. "Really great actually."

"Are you practicing medicine somewhere?" April asked with curiosity.

Izzy's eyes widened as she shared, "I'm in LA and own a modeling agency. I'm having the time of my life."

"Married?" April asked with naïve interest.

"No," Izzy paused. "Not since Alex. He's a pretty hard act to follow," her voice trailed off as Alex squeezed his arm a little tighter around Jo and looked away.

Jackson intervened to try to smooth the awkward moment, "Yep, he's one in a million all right. April, how was your surgery?"

April, not catching the hint, dismissed his question, "Oh, Jackson, nobody wants to hear about that after a long day!"

He stood up and put his hand on the small of April's back, "Yeah, you did have a long day. Let's go get you something to drink," he suggested as he guided her away from the table.

Jo was actually unperturbed by Izzy's comment, figuring that Izzy was indeed correct. She encouraged, "I want to hear more of your residency stories. Especially some good ones about Alex," she giggled.

Alex mocked shock, "What?! I was a complete angel. Star student."

"Riiiiiggghhhhhtttt," Jo responded.

Looking at his watch, Alex leaned toward Jo, "I've got that kidney surgery at 7am tomorrow. We should go."

Jo nodded and slid off her bar stool. She told Alex she'd be right back and headed toward the bathroom. Alex began to say goodbye to everyone. When he said farewell to Izzy, she asked him if he could step away for just a moment so she could chat with him.

The two went and sat at another table. Alex inquired, "What's up, Iz? I'm guessing this isn't about your model who wants to be a med student."

"That was a stupid excuse to get to you," she admitted. Then Izzy laughed awkwardly and revealed, "Well, it's...umm…a little peculiar. Any chance we could meet for lunch or dinner tomorrow before I leave? Just us?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Alex frowned as he shook his head.

Izzy met his eyes and urged him, "I really need to speak with you alone, Alex, but I don't think now is the best time. It might take a while to talk."

"We could always start now and you could text me if there's more," he offered sincerely, not catching that the matter might warrant a face-to-face conversation rather than a series of texts.

"That's not really ideal," Izzy argued.

Looking at her blankly, Alex responded, "It's what I can offer, Izzy. Now what's up?"

"I want to have a baby," Izzy disclosed.

Alex looked at her and shrugged with complete confusion, his brow lowering, "Go for it. Whatever." Alex looked over his shoulder wondering why Jo wasn't back yet.

Izzy laughed softly, "This isn't just an announcement, Alex. I'd like your permission to use the fertilized eggs from when I had cancer. The consent expired and needs to be renewed."

Alex stared at her blankly and bore his eyes sternly into hers, holding eye contact with extended silence. He looked away and cleared his throat as he answered without looking back at her, "Absolutely not. No."

Izzy sadly implored, "Alex…"

Jo walked up, unaware of the conversation, and asked Alex, "You ready?"

"Yeah," Alex affirmed as he stood up. He patted Izzy on the shoulder and forced a grin, "Take care, Iz." Izzy pursed her lips and nodded upward, trying to hold back tears.


	8. Chapter 8 - Ready

**Jolex – Chapter 8, Circuitous Route**

**Ready**

As they scrubbed out of the lengthy surgery at 6:30pm, Alex explained in detail what he needed Jo to watch for in post-op. He leaned over and kissed her, saying, "I'll see you at home late tonight unless I'm called in."

Jo smiled and held Alex's hand as long as she could. "Yeah. I'll see you at home. I'm off at 11. And don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the patient."

Alex looked puzzled, "Of course you will. I trust you."

Jo checked in at Recovery. Since the nurse would be beside the patient until the baby was ready to move to the NICU, Jo gave the nurse her pager number and went to grab a bite to eat.

Just as Jo finished her dinner, her pager sounded. The baby was being transported. Jo hopped up and proceeded to the NICU. She paged her intern for the day, a guy named Simon. They met in the NICU and Jo explained warning signs and what they needed to track. The two sat in the NICU observing, checking vitals, and monitoring various readings. Simon was doing a great job tracking everything. Jo loved the days when she was assigned a competent intern.

At 7:45, Jo received a page to the ER requesting a consult on a six year old girl with abdominal pain. She asked a 3rd year resident if she could observe the baby for them and the resident agreed. Simon and Jo headed to the ER, with Jo quizzing him on their way there.

"What will we be looking for?" Jo asked.

"Location and severity of pain, jaundice, vomiting, fever, swelling," Simon responded hoping he was providing a complete answer.

"And appetite loss. Good job. Possible tests?" Jo inquired.

"Manually palpate – is that a test? CT, ultrasound, blood panels."

Jo smiled, "Great, Simon. Why don't you take the lead on the exam? I will be right beside you."

"Ree…ree…really?" Simon sputtered.

Nodding, Jo said confidently, "You're ready. No worries. I'll be right there."

Simon approached the patient and her parents, introduced himself and introduced Jo, and reviewed the chart. "It looks like you're having some pretty horrible pain, huh, Cindy?"

"Can't you just make it stop?" the little girl whined.

Simon responded, "Let's make a deal: I'm going to do everything I can to help it stop, but first, I need to push around on your tummy. It probably won't feel very good since you're tummy already hurts, but I promise to be as fast as I can. Mom, you want to hold her hand?" Jo was impressed with Simon.

Simon began the manual exam and noticed Cindy did not appear to have a fever, but did seem to be jaundiced.

Jo asked, "Dr. Rontin, can you explain to me what you're observing?"

Simon explained, "She appears jaundiced, no tenderness in lower quadrants. Does the chart note a temp?"

Jo looked down, "Normal."

Simon moved to the area by the liver and gallbladder and Cindy yowled out loudly.

Jo offered quickly, "Pull back. That's enough to tell you what you need to know. What do you want to do now?"

"Order an ultrasound to rule out gallstones, assess extent of jaundice. Draw pre-op blood panel," Simon answered.

Nodding, Jo agreed, "Good. Nice work. Proceed with that plan and page me when you have results." Jo walked back toward the elevators to go check on the baby. The baby was recovering without any complications, and Jo was relieved.

A little after 8:30, Simon paged Jo and confirmed the suspected diagnosis: Cindy had gallstones and needed surgery. He had already begun to prep the patient. Jo asked Simon to page Alex since Alex would need to come in for the surgery. Jo spent a few minutes assessing the NICU in general and ensuring someone was watching the post-op baby.

Alex called in, none too pleased to be bothered, grumbling, "Whatcha got, Simon?"

"Dr. Karev, Dr. Wilson asked me to page you," Simon explained nervously.

"Ok…go ahead. Why?" Alex responded.

"We have a 6 year old who needs an immediate cholecystectomy. Multiple stones confirmed by ultrasound, she's jaundiced, experiencing tremendous pain, no vomiting, no fever." Simon shared.

"Nice summary. How jaundiced? Where does the patient place herself on the pain chart and how many stones?"

Simon answered Alex's questions, only having to refer to the chart once. Simon realized nobody had asked the patient to rate her pain, likely because it was obviously severe. Simon explained, "We don't have a patient rating for the pain."

"That's a pretty basic question to ask a patient, isn't it?" Alex grilled.

Poor Simon, becoming increasingly uncomfortable and flustered, answered, "It certainly is, Dr. Karev. But upon seeing the patient, her intensity of pain is fairly obvious."

Karev growled, "I'd imagine so. The steps are there to be followed. Remember that step next time."

"Yes, sir. Shall I tell Dr. Wilson you'll be in?" Simon asked.

"Not unless you want to lie to her. Tell Dr. Wilson she's got this." Alex declared.

"Umm…sir, I'm not sure what you mean," Simon admitted.

Alex sighed audibly, "Dr. Wilson can handle this surgery. I don't need to come in. She's the lead. And make sure to tell her _not _to call me to discuss this decision. She's operating."

Cindy's moaning and screaming was increasing, and Kepner walked over to Simon and insisted, "Please get her to an OR if she's having surgery. Screaming patients don't put other patients at ease." Simon nodded and began to take Cindy to the elevators. As the doors opened, Jo stepped out. She saw Simon with Cindy and asked for a status. Simon shared Kepner's instructions and then shared his phone call with Alex nearly verbatim.

Jo responded, "First off, Cindy is not going up immediately. Let's give her some pain meds. Have you spoken to the parents? Do you have consent? Anesthesiology been notified? OR booked?"

Simon shook his head, explained that the one question he could answer affirmatively was the last one. Jo sighed as she helped wheel Cindy's bed back to the curtain where she'd been earlier. Simon was sent to find the parents and Jo ordered IV pain meds. When the parents arrived, they looked panicked. Jo, internally repeated, _You've got this. Deep breath. You're a surgeon. _Jo smiled softly and began to explain the ultrasound results and the surgery. She answered the parents' questions, assuring them the surgery would take about an hour, then she excused herself to go scrub. A nurse brought in the consent forms and the parents kissed their little girl. Simon explained where they could find the surgical waiting area and then took Cindy up to pre-op.

The entire time Jo scrubbed, she was trying her best to review the surgery step-by-step. The resident she had originally left with the post-op baby would be assisting and Simon would rotate over to observe the post-op patient. Jo entered the OR, appearing confident and poised on the outside. Internally, she was a mixture of anticipation, terror, and confidence. She scanned the OR in general, the surgical tools, and the number of towels. After confirming everything she needed was laid out and ready, she thanked the nurse for prepping the room. The nurse, not used to being thanked for her background prep, was grateful that Dr. Wilson acknowledged her and her work.

By the time Cindy arrived, she was full of happy juice and higher than a kite. Jo reintroduced herself and explained the surgery with a basic overview. The anesthesiologist explained the mask to Cindy and then asked her to count backwards from 10. Cindy was out by number 8.

Without intending to coin a nickname for herself, which the team would bestow on her later, Jo said, "Thank you everyone for being here. Let's take a deep breath and begin." The atmosphere in the room was calm, assured, and positive. Originally, those staffing the surgery each had their own thoughts about how nerve wracking the next hour would be. They imagined a first time solo resident having a shaking voice and becoming uneasy. Instead, they encountered a competent and poised surgeon.

The surgery was a complete success without complications. Jo was on a high after closing. She had just survived her first truly solo surgery. More importantly, the patient had survived Jo's first truly solo surgery. She thanked all involved once again and excused herself to scrub out. Sending the resident to follow the patient to post-op, Jo realized she didn't know what lead surgeons did immediately after surgery. She had always been the resident accompanying the patient.

Jo pulled the kindest nurse aside and asked, "So, what do lead surgeons do right after scrubbing out? It sounds silly, but I'm not sure if there's something I should be doing."

The nurse smiled and said, "First, let me give you a hug and congratulate you on your first solo surgery." The nurse hugged Jo and then continued, "Every surgeon has their own process. I've seen some take a walk around the halls and others find a chair or on call room to regroup and reenergize. If you really want to be seen as the straight A student, you can begin your surgery notes. Other docs might tease you and call you an over-achiever, but you'll be glad you did the notes right after surgery. Otherwise, the files will stack up quicker than you'll believe."

Jo smiled and thanked the nurse for the insight, saying, "I think I'll go dictate the notes. Great tip."

As Jo was dictating, most of the surgical team popped in with a silly fanfare. Nearly everyone who had been in the OR had signed a makeshift "Certificate of Congratulations." The certificate had been created on a piece of copy paper by one of the orderlies. The anesthesiologist had run to the gift shop and purchased a balloon. Unfortunately, there was only one balloon left in the gift shop and it read, "It's a girl!" A nurse gave Jo a flower arrangement that a patient had left behind.

Jim, the surgical tech announced that the team had thought briefly and easily, as opposed to long and hard, to arrive at Dr. Wilson's nickname. Jim shared, "We all love our jobs and gladly do them every day, but today might have been the first time every single one of us was thanked both personally and as part of a team. Therefore, without further ado, we will now call you, "Dr. Grateful.""

Jo beamed and wiped away a stray tear, saying, "Well now it sounds silly to say, but _thank you _for all this. You are wonderful. This is so thoughtful." Everyone applauded and then the head nurse encouraged everyone to get back to work. Jo looked up at the clock and was surprised to see that it was 10:45pm. She set her surgical notes aside and walked up to Peds to check on Cindy.

After transitioning her case load to the next resident, Jo headed to the Resident's Lounge to change clothes. She'd been running really late that morning and couldn't find anything to wear. Rather than take time to find an outfit, Jo grabbed a pair of Alex's lounge pants and one of his super soft t-shirts. She knew she'd be in scrubs all day, so who cared what she wore to and from work?

When she arrived at home and unlocked the door, she noticed the bedroom light shining down from upstairs. She was both thankful and frustrated that Alex had insisted she do the surgery. Entering the room, she found Alex laying in bed and reading a medical journal.

He looked up and smirked, saying, "Hey, how's my favorite peds surgeon?"

"Tired, exhilarated, thankful, and just a tiny bit angry," Jo described as she crawled onto the bed and snuggled into Alex's chest.

"Surgery went well?" he asked.

Jo explained, "Flawless procedure, in and out in 50 minutes, excellent OR team, and patient is stable."

"Couldn't ask for more." Alex grinned with his eyes half open. He kissed her on the top of her head and said, "Congratulations. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Jo responded. She sat up and looked at Alex, "You know, that was kind of a dirty trick."

Alex, sincerely confused, asked, "What?"

"Assigning me the surgery without a heads up, refusing to let me call, surprising me with the solo gig."

Alex gave her a sideways grin and said, "So the 'little bit angry' is toward me?! Because I proved to you that you were ready to take this step? That's called being a teacher and knowing your student's abilities."

Jo sighed and added, "I appreciate your faith in me, Alex. It just would've been nice to have time to review the procedure and prepare before running the OR. Couldn't you have told me that the next appendix or gallbladder was mine?"

"You won't always have time to review a surgery before you operate, Jo. Emergencies happen, post-op complications create the need for additional surgery. You've got to be ready to jump in, and, tonight, you were." Alex squeezed his arm more tightly around Jo and repeated, "I'm impressed – I heard from an inside source that you were poised and assured. Good job."

Jo continued to snuggle into Alex's chest. A few minutes later, he looked down at her with lowered brows and said, "What are you wearing?"

Without moving, Jo answered, "Oh, I was running really late this morning so I grabbed these. Very comfy and warm. I think I'll sleep in them."

"How about if you give me my clothes back instead? Don't worry, I'll keep you comfy and warm," he promised as he slid her flat onto the bed, kissed her all over her body and began to make love.


	9. Chapter 9 - I So Hate Consequences

**Jolex – Chapter 9**

**I So Hate Consequences**

A few weeks had passed since Izzy's visit and Jo's first truly solo surgery. Jo noticed that Alex had been edgy and more quick to snap for the last few weeks. She hadn't connected his shift to Izzy's visit, although Izzy's request at the bar that night was at the root of Alex's discontent. Alex continued to internally fume about the fertilized eggs. Izzy had been persistent since her visit, trying to contact him via phone, pager, email, and Meredith. Alex ignored all her attempts. In his mind, there was nothing to talk about and nothing to say. There was no way in hell that he was consenting to having a child with Izzy. That chapter of his life was fully in the past and he wanted to keep it there. Alex had convinced himself that the situation was so irrelevant that he didn't need to mention it to Jo.

Alex was well aware of his sour mood, but didn't care if it bothered others. His thoughts were so focused on being mad at Izzy that any further self-awareness was nearly absent. Jo had become weary over the last few weeks, unsure why Alex was so crabby. Every interaction and situation seemed to piss Alex off. More than once, she had tried to encourage him to talk about what was bugging him. He'd deny anything was wrong and, instead, try to convince her everything was fine.

Each time Alex snapped or picked a fight, the couple would end up in bed. Each time was like the others: Alex would deny he was upset when Jo pushed him to talk, he'd grin at Jo playfully and start kissing her a little too urgently, and tell her that he was sure sex would cheer him up. Jo was beginning to notice that his foul moods didn't seem to be fading despite all the sex. She was also growing tired of him just using her for sex because what they'd been doing was definitely not in the category of making love.

**Tuesday morning, 6:00 am**

Alex, out of breath but smiling, rolled off of Jo, "Ahhh…that was nice," he mumbled.

_Nice for you maybe, _Jo thought to herself, _Yeah, I just love being woken up to instantly have sex so you can feel great and ignore my needs. You ass. _Externally, not wanting to start the day bickering, Jo grinned and lightly rubbed Alex's arm without much emotion.

As she began to stand up, Alex begged, "Hey…come back here, you." Alex really wanted to go again before getting ready for work.

"I need to get to the hospital, Alex. You know the drill: pre-rounds, rounds…" Jo sighed.

Alex sat up and ran his hand along Jo's back and butt, "C'mon…I need you."

Jo proceeded to the bathroom without a response and started the hot water. She stood at the sink brushing her teeth. Alex appeared behind her, hugged her from behind and was obviously ready for more action. He pushed his body tightly against hers and whispered something about shower sex in her ear. With her toothbrush in her mouth, Jo garbled, "Alex, knock it off. Go."

Angrily, he snapped, "Crap! What's wrong with you lately?" He grabbed his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth with quick, hard strokes.

Jo spit and looked at him in the mirror. "Really? What's wrong with _me_?" Alex nodded and raised his eyebrows impatiently. "Alex, you've been an impatient, selfish ass the last few weeks. I don't know what's going on with you because every time I try to talk to you, you start kissing me and wanting sex."

Alex spit, "So I can't love my fiancée? We can't have sex now until the wedding or something? Who the fuck are you, Kepner?"

"We've been having plenty of sex, Mister. Don't try to pull that crap on me," Jo yelled at full volume. Down the hall, Arizona threw her blankets over her head and groaned. Lately, if she wasn't hearing them have sex, she was hearing them fight about sex.

Alex's face expressed deep anger as he yelled, "I'm requesting to have you reassigned to another service. I'm sick of dealing with your crap booth at work and at home." Alex threw on a pair of sweats and stormed down the stairs to get coffee.

"Alexander Michael, get your ass back here," Jo yelled loudly as she emerged into the hallway naked as the steam from the shower poured into the bedroom and hallway.

"Don't pull that full name crap on me, orphan girl," Alex bellowed insensitively back.

Arizona shook her head and closed her eyes, whispering to herself, "Oh, Alex, bad move. Bad, bad, mean, uncaring move."

Leaving the bedroom door wide open, Jo hopped in the shower. While under the noise of the water, she let herself sob for just a few minutes before telling herself, _Don't you dare let him see you cry. Don't give him that kind of power over your feelings, Josephine Wilson. Don't do it. _After a series of deep breaths, she emerged from the shower while her emotions remained behind a thick, impenetrable wall. She quickly dressed in the first clothes she found and grabbed a duffel bag to fill with a few changes of clothes and some toiletries. She thought to herself, _There was no way in hell I'll sleep in this bed until he apologizes. There are showers and beds at the hospital. I'll hide out there for a few days, maybe even pick up an extra shift or two._

Arizona really wished she could hide in her room until the couple left the house, but she had an early surgery scheduled. She tentatively opened her door and saw Jo throwing clothes into a bag and muttering to herself. Carefully treading over to Jo and Alex's doorway, Arizona uttered gently, "Jo?"

"What?!" Jo hissed back unintentionally. Jo shook her head and blinked, offering, "I'm sorry, Dr. Robbins. That tone…"

"Was understandable," Arizona interrupted. "I know we're navigating a bunch of different relationships, boss-subordinate, attending-resident, landlord-tenant, but I'd really like to give you a hug if you'd like one. I couldn't help but overhear. I'm so sorry."

Jo flashed a broad, fake smile and replied, "That is so thoughtful. I really appreciate it." Throwing the duffel bag strap over her shoulder, she concluded, "It's not necessary. I'm fine, really." In her usual chipper tone, Jo chimed, "I'll see you at the hospital."

Arizona, stunned, dropped her mouth open and attempted to speak. As Jo walked past her, Arizona reached out and put a hand on Jo's shoulder, "Just so you know, nobody is changing services today. I need you in the NICU, but I can steer Alex toward the older kids for your sake."

Grinning unconvincingly, Jo answered, "Sounds good. Bye." She rambled down the stairs as she attempted to manage the large bad strapped across one shoulder.

As she did so, Alex called out, "Jo, did you want coffee? I don't want to make too much if you're skipping it today." Really, he was attempting to find an excuse to say something to her.

Jo heard his question but walked directly out the front door without an answer. From the kitchen, Alex looked up when he heard the door close and thought to himself, _Crap. _He looked for his phone then remembered it was in the bedroom. He rushed upstairs to grab it and a send a text to Jo, _I was an ass. I'm sorry. Really sorry. Coffee later?_

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'_

**Tuesday, 11:00 am**

Tears were silently streaming down Jo's face nonstop. Falling without effort, the tears mixed into the tiny puddles of leftover rainwater near her knees as she knelt directly on the muddy ground ferociously pulling weeds. Her hope, likely unconscious given her state of mind, was that each rip of roots and handful of weeds would channel her anger, fear, and anxiety away from what had occurred earlier at the hospital. To further separate herself from the world, her headphones and the music from her iPod barricaded her inside an emotional wilderness underpinned by desperation.

In grubby jeans and one of Alex's old Iowa t-shirts, Jo dwelt in her own isolated lair. Normally an observant person, she did not notice that cars occasionally drove in front of the house. She was completely unaware of the comings and goings of neighbors. Even the postal carrier who walked within 10 feet of her went unnoticed as the day's mail was delivered. The carrier gently noticed the sheer intensity of Jo's actions. Rather than gently digging for a root or methodically clearing one line of weeds and then another, Jo was scrambling wherever she could reach as she ripped out the weeds in Alex's front yard. When she wasn't replaying the horrific experience of the morning's activities in the NICU, she wondered if the space, the house, the yard were at all hers any longer. She wondered to herself why she had even chosen to come back here, to _his _home. Then with a new outpouring of tears, she remembered that she had nowhere else to go. The spectrum of unknowns seemed to intensify and widen the longer she attempted to escape the day.

As she pulled weeds and cried tears, she flashbacked to earlier hours and the chaos that had led her to this desperate situation and state of mind.

**Flashback to Tuesday, 8:30 am**

Replaying her version of the story over and over in her mind, Jo recited internally, "When I entered the NICU, Marcy approached me with her concern about Clarissa, the Danol baby. Marcy is an exceptional nurse whose skills are well honed; when she notes a concern, it is important to take notice."

"Dr. Wilson, I was just going to page you. Clarissa Danol seems to be worsening. I'm not sure we are only dealing with jaundice." Jo held her hand out for the chart as Marcy continued, "About two hours ago, she developed a fever. It is now approaching 103 degrees. She has diarrhea and occasional vomiting."

Jo reviewed the chart and suggested, "Well, she _is_ a newborn. She might just be spitting up. The fever, though, is concerning. Is she taking formula or breast milk?"

Marcy explained, "Her mother has been diligent about pumping; we've only given Clarissa breast milk."

Jo's concern grew; she'd been hoping that a recent change of formula would explain the vomiting. Approaching the baby to examine her, Jo smiled and cooed softly, "Let's see what's going on with you little one." Jo moved the stethoscope over Clarissa's heart, "She's tachycardic." As Jo palpated the baby's abdomen, Clarissa screamed loudly. "Let's get her temp right away and then every 10-15 minutes. I also want a CBC, liver function, and tests for thyroid hormone, electrolytes, and blood sugar STAT. Let's get another set of hands in here to set up oxygen. Be ready to begin an IV depending upon test results." Marcy nodded and began fulfilling Jo's orders as Jo observed the baby and stroked her very warm head full of hair.

Across the NICU, Mrs. Rigin yelled in desperation, "What's going on?! No! Help!"

Jo approached the panicked mother and assured her, "I'm coming, Mrs. Rigin. What seems to be the problem?" Jo placed her stethoscope in her ears.

Mrs. Rigin exclaimed, "He's turning blue. He's not breathing!" Jo remained calm and scanned the room – with Marcy running blood down to the lab, Jo was the only medical staff in the room. She noticed Stephanie walking in the hallway and motioned to her to come. As she waited for Stephanie to enter from down the hall, Jo confirmed that Niles was struggling for breath.

Stephanie entered, "What's up?"

Jo answered calmly, "Could you please escort Mrs. Rigin to the waiting area?"

Mrs. Rigin exclaimed, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here with my baby!"

Stephanie approached the mother and suggested that she could explain the procedure to her in the other room. Two other babies in the NICU were crying and Clarissa was rotating between loud cries and silence. Jo wanted to check that out but couldn't spread herself that thin. She mouthed to Stephanie, "I need nurses!" Stephanie nodded and mouthed back, "I'm on it."

Marcy returned and asked, "Shall I call a code?"

Jo resisted, "No, his heart is beating. He's gasping. He needs to be intubated. I need assistance. Clarissa's cries are varying in intensity. She needs to be checked." Reluctantly, Marcy approached Jo's side; the baby's breathing was more immanent in the short term, but the need for additional staff would soon become just as critical. Jo was attempting to intubate but was having a great deal of trouble. She paused and looked at Marcy, saying, "We need more personnel in here STAT." Reluctantly, Marcy ran to the phone and paged the other two nurses and a CNA who were on duty in the NICU.

"Shall I page Dr. Karev?" Marcy asked.

Jo shook her head, "He's scheduled for 9:00am anyway. He'll be here soon." Truth be told, the last person she wanted in the room was Alex. Her hope was that he would take his time checking in on the NICU so she could calm down the situation without his intervention.

"Dr. Robbins?" Marcy suggested.

Jo shook her head again, "No, she's in surgery. I've got this. I just need suction and assistance. What's going on with Clarissa?"

Marcy answered, "Dr. Wilson, my hands are as full as yours. I have not checked on her." Clarissa's cries continued to cycle in an unusual pattern of hard cries and silence.

"Come here and give me suction. I can't see his chords – it's full of blood," Jo instructed. Marcy began to walk back to Jo but again suggested calling a code.

As Marcy stood alongside Niles and provided suction, Stephanie entered and said, "Mom's sitting with a social worker. How can I help?"

Jo ordered, "Take a look at Clarissa – her cries are concerning…we need her labs asap too. Damn! The tube went in too far."

Stephanie responded, "Adrenaline tube means you're too anxious. Take a deep breath. Should I page Karev?"

Jo continued to struggle with the intubation, answering, "No. He's probably on his way in right now anyway. I just need to get this tube placed. Marcy – I need more suction!"

Marcy did as Jo requested but answered, "Dr. Wilson, the blood is more than I can suction. I can't keep up."

Jo took in a deep breath of relief, "There. The tube is in." Jo sighed as she placed her stethoscope on Nile's chest, the noticed a problem, "C'mon, Niles, why aren't you pinking up…C'mon baby."

Marcy looked at Jo and shared, "Dr. Wilson, his chest is not moving and there is blood coming out the corner of his mouth."

Jo ordered, "Suction." Jo pulled the tube, realizing she'd placed it down the esophagus. She mumbled, "Great…a gut tube." She attempted to re-intubate.

Stephanie called out from Clarissa's area, "Her fever is up to 105."

Jo did not look over, but responded as she again attempted to intubate Niles, "thyrotoxicosis. Just waiting on her labs to confirm. She'll need fluids, a sedative, propranol, methosone and some cooling towels. Start attempting to cool her, Steph, and go ahead with IV fluids."

Stephanie began to complete the list of tasks, but said, "That baby needs to be criched."

Jo responded, "I'm not disfiguring a two day old baby. I can get this tube if I could just visualize the chords." Jo continued to attempt to navigate the tube as small amounts of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Just then, the nurses who had been paged entered along with Alex. Alex was just arriving at the hospital and had decided to round the NICU first. Looking around and observing the chaotic scene, Alex exclaimed, "What the hell?" He ran to Niles, listened for breath sounds and a heartbeat. He whipped his stethoscope back around his neck as he grabbed the tools for a crichothyroidotomy. "Step aside," Alex barked at Jo.

Jo persisted, "No, I've almost got him intubated."

Marcy shared, "Dr. Karev, this is her third attempt. She's been trying for over 5 minutes."

Alex shook his head and lowered his brows as he looked at Jo, then he quickly glanced over to Stephanie and bellowed, "Can you shut that baby up? Pick her up or something." The nurses were all busying themselves with other patients in the room. Alex repeated himself, "Step aside, Dr. Wilson. This baby needs an airway. He's gone too long already."

Jo continued to try, "No, really, I've got it, Doctor. More suction, Marcy."

Alex became more intense, pressing the code button as the baby went limp, "Dammit, Jo. Step away from the patient and get the hell out of here. We're losing him."

Jo looked up at Alex with shock, "Alex!"

Alex barked as he completed the crich, placed a tube, and began CPR, "Go. Now. Get out of this NICU, Dr. Wilson. Actually, get out of this hospital. Go. Home."

Jo slowly and deliberately began to walk out of the NICU as Stephanie looked at her blankly and as the code team entered. Then Alex turned to Marcy and said, "What's with the bleeding?"

Marcy responded, "I'm not exactly sure, Dr. Karev. Blood has been seeping from his mouth for a few minutes. Dr. Wilson hadn't had an opportunity to investigate the source yet. The first two attempts were a gut tube and an adrenaline tube."

As the door closed, Jo heard Alex say, "We have a heartbeat. Let's get him up to surgery." Moments later, Alex, Marcy, and Stephanie ran past Jo in the hallway as they steered baby Niles toward the elevator. As he passed Jo, Alex barked fairly loudly, "I wasn't kidding. Go home. Now!" Jo held back tears, determined not to cry in the hallway. She approached the elevator, which arrived immediately.

Derek and Bailey were discussing a case on their way to another floor as the elevator doors opened. Derek offered with cheer, "Dr. Wilson, good morning." Jo breathed in methodically facing the elevator doors. She knew if she responded, she'd break down in sobs. Bailey interjected, disgusted by what appeared to be a lack of social graces, "Dr. Wilson! Good morning." Jo attempted to mumble, "Good morning," but her voice cracked. Bailey rolled her eyes while Shepherd looked at Jo's back with concern. He noticed her breathing was rapid as he gazed upon her lab coat.

The elevator door opened on the Residents' Lounge floor. Jo stepped out, walking quickly toward her oasis. Derek handed Bailey a chart, saying, "I'll catch up with you." He followed Jo toward the locker room, but walked slowly. Jo bounded toward the locker room, glad that nobody else was present. She flopped on the couch and began sobbing uncontrollably into a pillow. Derek peeked in through the window in the door. He began to enter, but then hesitated and leaned against the hallway wall.

Owen approached the lounge and saw Derek. "Oh, good, Shepherd. Karev needs you in OR 2. He has a baby who was without oxygen for approximately 7 minutes. He wants your opinion on viability." Derek nodded and walked toward the elevator. Derek considered telling Owen that Wilson was upset and needed some care. He decided against it. As Derek walked away, Owen breathed in deeply and entered the Residents' Lounge. "Dr. Wilson," he said coolly and firmly.

Jo looked up from the pillow, attempting to quickly wipe away the mascara running down her face. Her eyes swollen and red as she responded, "Yes?"

Owen stated flatly, "I need to see you in my office. Take a few moments to get yourself together, then meet me there in 30 minutes." With that, Owen turned and walked out of the room. Jo resumed crying, trying to calm down from this newest layer of stress.

Half an hour later, Jo knocked on the door of Owen's office and heard him respond, "Come on in." Jo walked in, surprised to see Alex already seated and finishing a sentence cryptically as Jo sat down. He sat with his arms folded and his right ankle resting on his left knee. Alex did not make eye contact with Jo; he switched between gazing out the office window and looking down at his shoes.

Owen began, "Dr. Wilson. Thank you for being here."

Jo responded as professionally as she could, "Absolutely, Chief."

Owen said definitively, "Dr. Wilson, I'm just going to spell this out. There have been a few serious errors over the last couple weeks that concern me. A week ago yesterday, you took part in a surgery with Dr. Bailey where the colon was perfed. The puncture was not found until sepsis set in."

Jo pursed her lips, "Yes. I understand the patient is slowly improving."

Owen continued, "Yes…but that is beside the point at the moment. From what I understand, there was quite a debacle in the NICU this morning, and you discouraged multiple requests to page an attending."

Jo said nothing.

"Further," Owen continued, "there was hesitation to step away when asked to do so."

Jo nodded and began to speak, but Owen interjected, "There will come a time when your input and recollections will be considered but we aren't discussing that now. I'd like you to chart your portion of the notes for Niles Rigin and Clarissa Danol and then report back to me. Please do not interact with patients or complete any other tasks. In fact," he said handing her some blank paper, "why don't you go in the conference room across the hall and complete the chart notes in writing."

Jo nodded and said, "If you'll excuse me, I'll let you know when the notes are completed." Jo tried to catch Alex's eye as she stood up, but Alex continued gazing toward the floor. Jo closed the door as she left Owen's office.

Owen sighed and leaned back in his chair, saying to Alex, "Well…"

Alex responded, "Yeah, that sucked…so while she's charting, do you need me for anything else?"

Owen said, "Well, I know you are in a tricky situation. I'm sure it goes without saying that you can't discuss the case or the outcome and details of the surgery with her." Alex nodded as Owen continued, "I'm going to suspend her with pay pending investigation. Continuing compensation comes with the expectation that she makes herself available for meetings and discussions throughout the investigation. Between you and I, her errors are not worthy of invalidating her medical license. Our goal here will be to get to the bottom of what occurred and why, then use the findings as teachable insights. From what I see now, she won't lose her residency, but I cannot promise that until the investigation is complete. You cannot reassure her of that probability either."

Alex nodded again, stating, "So, basically, I'm in a pretty ugly space and will need to separate my personal and professional lives as much as possible."

Owen nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

Alex stood up and offered, "I'm going to chart while everything is fresh. What's your timing on the investigation?"

Owen responded, "I'm hoping we can have her back on the floor within 10 days on the outside, but even that stays in this room."

About 90 minutes after she'd stepped out, Jo approached Owen's open office door and tentatively stepped in. Owen was alone, working on paperwork as he looked up and asked, "Done?"

Jo responded softly as she handed him the papers, "Yes."

Owen took the papers and motioned for Jo to have a seat, "Dr. Wilson, you have proven yourself to be a competent surgeon over the last few years. However, between today's multiple errors and last week's perfed colon, the hospital has concerns about your current ability to appropriately practice medicine." Jo listened, trying to stay present in the moment. The rest of Owen's words seemed to blur and be surreal. "suspension with pay" "be here for meetings and discussions as requested," "nicked esophagus…perfed colon…delays in treating thyrotoxicosis...insubordination." Owen concluded, "Do you have any questions?"

Jo tried to snap back into reality and blinked her eyes multiple times, "Ummm…not at this time."

Owen reassured, "You are welcome to call me if any questions arise. In the meantime, I need to instruct you to not discuss the patients, suspension, or any hospital business with anyone affiliated with the hospital during your suspension. My suggestion would be that except for your personal relationship with Dr. Karev, you not interact at all with friends and colleagues from here – it just makes it easier for all involved to follow expectations. I will be your official contact throughout the process, although some of my communications may occur through my administrative assistant."

Jo responded, "Ok. I understand."

Owen continued, "You are welcome to clean out your locker, and I expect that you won't be coming to the hospital except for pre-arranged discussions and meetings related to the suspension."

Jo paused and breathed in slowly. She looked down at the floor and took a few deep breaths before looking Owen in the eye and standing up with her hand extended gracefully said, "Thank you, Dr. Hunt. I appreciate your clarity and candor." Owen nodded and Jo turned to leave, closing the door behind her. Owen sighed heavily and put his face in his hands.

As Jo walked out of Owen's office, Alex looked up from the conference room. He'd been waiting for her and jumped up to approach her. "Hey," he said as he attempted to put his arm around her.

Jo maneuvered herself out of his grasp and kept walking. Alex continued walking alongside her and gently suggested, "Look, you can be as pissed at me as you want, but at least let me take you home."

Jo continued walking silently, rounding the corner to the Resident's Lounge. She entered the empty room and Alex followed. "Hey," Alex said a bit more emphatically, "I've been talking to you. Let me help."

Jo turned from facing her locker and said with a shaking voice, "I think you've helped enough already, Alex. I'm so sorry I'm such a disappointment and that you felt the need to go to the Chief of Surgery with your concerns about my insubordination. Thanks for that."

Alex stayed calm and stated, "Look…you're exhausted. You're not thinking straight…"

Jo interrupted, "Please, Alex. Please leave me alone." With that, Jo walked out of the room with the strap of the duffel bag she'd packed earlier in the day on one shoulder and the strap to the bag holding the contents of her locker on the other.

"You look ridiculous. Let me carry those for you. I…I won't say a word. I promise. Just let me help you down to your car," Alex insisted.

"You've helped enough already, Alex," Jo cried as her attempt to hold back tears crumbled. She threw one of the bags onto the floor and wiped her eyes. "Really, you are the last person I want to see right now."

FF_6295206_ 1/31/2015


	10. Chapter 10 - Investigation

**Investigation**

**Tuesday, 11:30am**

Robbins, Karev, Webber, and Hunt gathered around the table in the Conference Room. The mood in the room was serious and tense. The baby that Jo had attempted to intubate had lived, thanks to Alex's intervention. Therefore, an M &amp; M would not need to be called. However, there had been enough of a shift in Jo's quality of work in the last few weeks to warrant concern. Owen insisted that the situation be nipped in the bud.

"We were all residents once and we all screwed up. Look at her entire residency – she's an excellent surgeon," Alex growled in frustration as the discussion drug on.

"Alex, that's not the issue," Arizona tried to explain once again, "We are all on Jo's side here. The issue is intervening before bigger errors emerge both for her and for the hospital."

Owen added, unaware of the details he was disclosing, "Even though you had no personal problem with her insistence on the intubation, Karev, Edwards was indeed correct in raising her concerns to me."

Webber nodded and shared, "Dr. Karev, you know as well as anyone else in this room that if the chain of command is disregarded, especially in an emergency, the consequences can be deadly. Regardless of the blurring of your personal and professional relationships with one another and the ways the two of you choose to sort that out, Dr. Wilson's interaction with an attending were out of line. You yourself reported that you demanded she leave the area and the hospital. Obviously, you did not agree with her decisions and actions."

Alex frowned, poking his tongue inside his cheek. His already folded arms were now accompanied by his glances toward the ceiling and his chair leaning back as far as it could go. Without looking at his colleagues, Alex stated, "I'd like to be recused from this process. I can't be on both sides of the fence, and I refuse to be part of a witch hunt."

Owen gasped in exasperation, "This is _not _a witch hunt, Karev. We are coming together to understand how we can best intervene to _help _Wilson. Nobody is looking to have her fired or dismissed. Am I right?" Owen asked as he scanned the room. Everyone present nodded affirmatively.

Continuing, Owen added, "Your presence will be incredibly helpful. You've served as her direct supervisor more than any of us. You know her work and her style. Hearing your input about next steps would be especially valuable. What does Dr. Wilson most need at this point in her training?"

Alex huffed and grumbled, "Argh…I don't know. I need a break. That's what I know."

"Good idea. Why don't we break for lunch, check on our patients, and reconvene at 2:30?" Owen suggested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`'

**Tuesday, Noon**

Stephanie walked up behind Jo and softly put her hand on Jo's shoulder. Even though her approach was calm, Jo jumped from the surprise then laughed when she saw Stephanie. "Thanks for coming over," Jo uttered as she wiped tears from her swollen, red eyes. As she captured the tears, she pasted mud from her fingers onto her face. Stephanie grinned gently and reached over to wipe the mud off her friend's face.

"What happened? I don't understand. You're suspended because of what happened in the NICU this morning? Alex should be disciplined for barking at you like he did," Stephanie shared.

Jo recounted the concerns Owen raised, summing it up by saying, "There's a concern my quality of work and focus has deteriorated in the last few weeks. There have been a number of stupid errors – some are mine, some aren't but I was present when they occurred. In Hunt's mind, they're all my errors now."

"What's been going on the last few weeks? Other than Alex being more of an ass than normal?" Steph inquired.

"Stephanie, not now. Cut Alex some slack," Jo begged.

"Jo, that's all I ever do and look at what happened this morning," Stephanie explained. "I worry about how he chips away at you little by little."

"We've been over this before, Steph. Please. Not today. No Alex bashing right now." The weariness in her voice was palpable.

Stephanie looked squarely at her friend, "What can I do? How can I help?"

"Can I stay with you? I know all you've got is a couch and I know your place is tiny. I'm fine with that." Jo requested.

Stephanie frowned, "For a night or two, sure. There's not enough room for me there, though."

Jo sniffled and smiled, "Just figuring out tonight's plans is helpful. Thank you. I'd hug you right now if I wasn't all muddy."

While the friends were talking, they neglected to see Alex drive up and park his car in the garage. He walked over to them, surprised to see Edwards. Hunt had mentioned in passing that Edwards had reported the insubordination. Now Stephanie was here acting like a concerned friend? Alex wondered who the hell Stephanie thought she was.

"Hey," Alex uttered awkwardly. "Can we talk?"

Jo looked at Stephanie, "I'll call you and we'll figure out details." Stephanie nodded, then glared at Alex as he returned the sentiment. Jo felt tiny and vulnerable as she knelt on the ground in raggedy clothes while Alex stood over her in slacks, a shirt, and tie. Nonetheless, she was worried that he'd try to hug or kiss her if she stood up. Reaching forward toward some weeds, Jo grasped them and asked, "What is it Alex?"

"Can we at least go inside?" he asked as he extended his hand to help her stand up. Jo stood up without grasping his hand and walked toward the front door. Trying to make any conversation he could, Alex kidded, "Nice shirt." Jo ignored him. Then he uttered, "Thanks for pulling all these weeds. That needed to be done." Jo simply looked back at him blankly and then looked away.

"Let me clean up. I'll be right back," Jo explained as they walked through the front door. She'd thrown her shoes off outside, but her clothes were muddy and moist. She ran upstairs and grabbed a t-shirt and jeans she hadn't packed earlier that day. She went into the bathroom to wipe off the mud and to change. Within minutes, she was back downstairs.

"You look hot in those jeans," Alex grinned as he shared his honest assessment. Jo stared at him blankly.

"What did you want to talk about?" she inquired flatly.

"This whole mess. At this point, I'm in the room with Hunt, Webber and Robbins. Earlier, I tried to get them to dismiss everything, but they wouldn't go along with me. I want to help you…and, more than anything, I want to hold you," Alex explained as he extended his hand toward her.

Jo's eyes gazed at Alex with sadness. "No, Alex," she implored as she delicately pushed his hand away. Then she ruminated with increasing anger, "You want to help me, huh? Haven't you done enough already? How can I possibly trust you? How could you report me for insubordination? I think that hurts more than anything else, Alex. Although being screamed at in the NICU in front of so many other people was humiliating too."

"I didn't report anything," Alex honestly disclosed. "Hunt called me in after someone else who had been in the NICU had gone to him. He wanted to hear my view of what happened. I downplayed it all and told him I was abrupt. I didn't say anything about you other than that we disagreed on treatment options."

"Don't lie to me," Jo begged with disappointment.

"Jo, I'm being honest. I know who went to Hunt and I also know it was not me," Alex clarified.

"Who was it?" Jo asked stubbornly.

"I can't say. You should ask Hunt. You'd be shocked," Alex shared as he folded his arms.

Jo looked away and bit her bottom lip, "Alex, I'm going to stay with Stephanie for a few days."

"Don't," Alex sighed. "I'll sleep on the couch or get a hotel or something. Listen, I know I've been a real ass lately. I've been tense and uptight. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I've been an ass. If you need some space, fine, but don't leave. Ok? Don't leave." Alex was terrified that if Jo left she might never return.

"I need a break, Alex. We've been having a really bad time lately. I need some space," Jo expressed with pain.

"Stay here, I'll go," Alex insisted.

Jo laughed softly, "Alex, this is your house. I can't ask or expect you to leave."

"You're not. I'm telling you that's what I'm doing. I'll bunk in an on call room for a couple days or I'll stay at Mer's," Alex brainstormed. He met her eyes with his and gulped, "Stay. Really. Let's take two days and go from there, ok?" He reached over to stroke her hair, but Jo turned away gently as she whispered softly, "Ok. Two days."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

**Tuesday 9:00pm**

"The whole thing is overblown. I spent most of my day listening to them whine and wring their hands wondering how they could fly in and save the poor little resident. It was sick," Alex explained to Meredith as he drank a swig of his second beer. The night was cool but pleasant as the two friends sat outside talking.

"From what I hear, there's the insubordination and three surgical errors in two weeks. That's not good, Alex," Meredith reasoned.

Alex frowned, "Here's the thing. Edwards is the one who went to Hunt. Jo's best friend. What the hell?"

"Hmmm…kind of like the time one of my best friends turned me over concerns that I'd tampered with the Alzheimer's trial?" Meredith asked.

"Crap. I'm sorry," Alex apologized as he looked down and shook his head. "See what I mean, I'm an ass. She deserves better."

"I'm not dignifying your pity party with a response," Meredith proclaimed. "Now back to Edwards, she probably thought she was doing the right thing. Besides, you weren't in the room when she went to Hunt. He may have concluded the insubordination on his own. For all you know, she went to talk to him to complain about how few nurses were present or about your yelling," Meredith clarified. "Jo will come out of this fine, Alex. But Webber, Robbins, and Hunt aren't going to dismiss it. They'll want some fixable theory and intervention plan. It's how they work. They're fixers. Maybe you can help them discover their theory."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked as he opened a new beer.

Meredith pondered silently before stating, "How did you and Izzy leave things when she visited?"

"Oh, Mer, I have enough crazy to deal with. Let's not go there," Alex insisted.

"No, I'm thinking theories here, Alex. All I know is that you greeted her with a big swinging hug, became weird and clingy so Iz would see you fawning over Jo, and then, after a brief private conversation, you were gone and Iz was crying. What did you say to upset her?" Meredith pushed.

"What does this have to do with Jo?" Alex grumbled.

"I don't know, Alex. You tell me," Meredith suggested. "Why was Izzy such a wreck after you left that night? Why has she been calling me and begging me to talk you into calling her?"

"She wants the eggs," Alex announced.

"Huh?" Meredith asked, unclear of the jump in conversation and not remembering the fertilized eggs from years past.

Alex looked at Mer from under his furrowed brows as he put his chin toward his chest, "My swimmers. She wanted my permission to use the fertilized eggs from when she had cancer so she could have a kid. Or so we could. Or something. We didn't get that far into the conversation."

"Oh," Meredith offered slowly and softly. "Wow."

"Yeah, I know, right? I told her absolutely not. No way," Alex admitted.

"And you've been especially rotten ever since," Meredith gathered.

"What the hell?" Alex asked.

"Iz was here about two weeks ago, you've been McAss the last couple weeks, and Jo has screwed up in surgery over the last couple weeks. It's all connected, Alex, don't you see?" Meredith exclaimed as she put together her discovery. "Have you and Jo been fighting more? Does she know about the egg thing?"

"We've been having lots of full throttle sex – you know, outright banging, no romantic crap. And, no, she doesn't know about Izzy's request. Besides, even if I've been a real douche lately, she shouldn't let that affect her surgical abilities," Alex laid out.

"That's it, Alex. That's what needs to come of this. Somehow, she needs to improve her ability to operate well even when life is challenging and difficult. That's the goal you have to share with the others in the room, and that's a feat that will truly help her be a better surgeon," Meredith sat up proudly as she shared her conclusion.

"So, what, you want me to talk to Robbins, Webber, and Hunt about banging Jo and about what an ass I am?" Alex scoffed.

"Play the boyfriend card, say something like 'She's been under a great deal of stress in her personal life, but I'm not at liberty to disclose details.' You can pull that off. And what resident doesn't need to learn how to leave their personal problems at the door? They'll grab right on to that reasoning. Trust me," Meredith insisted.

"Hmmmm. Got anymore beer?" Alex requested.


	11. Chapter 11 - Everything

**Chapter 11**

**Jolex – Circuitous Route.**

**Everything's Hanging in the Balance**

Owen sighed as he read through the charts again. Truly, he couldn't make heads or tails out of who was responsible for the perfs, the infections, and the various troubles the team was investigating. Videos of the surgeries were equally inconclusive. On their own, each situation could be dismissed as a fluke or a simple surgical error. Together, if Wilson was indeed the one responsible, the issues raised a red flag. However, clear proof that Jo had been responsible for all of the errors did not exist.

Hunt, Arizona and Webber had spent the last day and a half interviewing the staff who were present during the chaos in the NICU. They had asked Jo to come in at 10:00am to share her verbal version of the events, even though they already had her copious chart notes. The chart notes were factual. The spoken recounting would include emotion and nuances.

True to his word, Alex had stayed at Meredith's the last two days and nights. He knew the panel would be meeting with Jo, but he was off and would not be at the hospital. The team didn't want him present at Jo's interview anyway. Staying at Mer's that day would prevent him from accidentally running into Jo at the hospital. At 10:00 am, he drank a coffee toast to Jo as he sat outside in a lounge chair.

"Dr. Hunt, Dr. Wilson has arrived," Owen's assistant announced over the phone speaker.

"Great. Have her wait in the Conference Room and let Robbins and Webber know she's here," Owen instructed.

Owen inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He proceeded to the Conference Room and extended his hand, "Dr. Wilson."

Jo stood up and shook his hand, "Dr. Hunt." Webber and Robbins walked in and shook her hand as well.

"Let's get started," Owen announced as he sat down at the head of the table. Jo sat to his right and the other doctors sat to his left. "Dr. Wilson, we all want to emphasize that this is not a trial. Our concern is that increased errors lately may be indicative of a particular training need at this point in your residency. Our intention is to sort through some details as we work together with you on a plan going forward."

Jo smirked uncomfortably and nodded her head.

Their questions came one after another and Jo answered each one as succinctly as she could. _Arizona began, "Dr. Wilson, when you entered the NICU that morning, how many patients were in distress? How did that number change as you responded to specific patients? What was the staffing situation in the NICU when you arrived?" Webber requested, "Please explain your thought process when you decided to try intubation again after your first attempt was unsuccessful." Hunt asked, "What were your initial diagnostic impressions for both the Danol and the Rigin baby?" "We understand that you were giving Edwards orders related to the Danol baby as you attempted to intubate the Rigin baby. Describe your ability to focus on the emergency at hand and handle the situation effectively," Arizona pressed._

Jo maintained her composure throughout the session and provided detailed and impressive responses. Once all of the questions related to the NICU morning had been addressed, Owen suggested a 20 minute break. Then the group would re-gather for questions about the other surgical errors.

Walking as calmly as she could, Jo headed directly to the bathroom to throw up and to pee. Unconsciously, she texted Alex, _Part One completed. Break then Part Two. _Alex had left his phone inside, grateful to not be on call. He had no idea Jo was attempting to reach him as he watched the birds fly and listened to them sing.

Jo was the second person to return to the room. Webber was jotting down notes as she arrived. He grinned subtly and offered, "Wilson, you're doing fine. Good work." Then he returned to his notes.

Arizona peeked in through the doorway and asked Jo to step outside for a moment. Once she and Jo stood face-to-face, Arizona observed, "Wilson, the NICU was woefully understaffed and you handled the situation very well. I have no doubt that if I had walked in and asked you to step aside, you would have complied. We all really do just want to help." Arizona glanced over her shoulder and excused herself.

Jo stood in the hallway briefly, centering herself. Owen approached and shared, "We're ready when you are. Take all the time you need." Jo nodded but knew she was ready to continue. She followed him in to the room. After two hours of intense questioning, the team thanked Jo for her time. Before concluding the session, Owen asked if Jo had any further input or information to share. She did not.

Owen offered to walk her out, but said very little as they headed for the main hospital doors. He was stopped for a signature at one point and paged as they neared the main lobby. "Dr. Wilson, I'm hoping we can wrap all this up before the end of the week. I'll be in touch with you soon." They shook hands as he left the main lobby.

Jo looked around slowly, taking in the surreal emotions she was experiencing. She stood in one of the most familiar places she knew, yet did she belong there any longer? How could a place that seemed so much like a home also feel so very foreign? Meredith's voice brought her back to the present moment, "Wilson."

"Hi Dr. Grey. I've been told not to speak with anyone…" Jo explained.

Meredith put her hand on Jo's shoulder and walked toward the doors. "Never mind that. I'm not about to get involved with the investigation. I want to tell you something about Alex."

Jo's stomach turned and then tied itself in knots. "Alex?" Jo repeated weakly.

"Listen. I know feelings and emotions aren't the first topics the two of you would choose to discuss. This is a time when you might want to consider otherwise," Meredith advised.

Jo's eyebrows moved closer together as the top of her nose wrinkled. Confused, Jo requested clarification, "Meaning?..."

"The two of you have come this far. Your relationship is worth the discomfort of sorting out the hurt. Alex is at my house now. Go to him," Meredith insisted.

"With all due respect, what's in this for you, Dr. Grey?" Jo asked gently yet honestly.

"I'm concerned about Alex and Alex loves you. Sometimes the coach from the other team needs to point out an observation that affects the whole game…or something like that. I'm not a sports fan. I don't do sports metaphors," Meredith offered. "Just go. He loves you, Wilson. You love him. Hold him accountable, but don't shut down or build walls. He needs you." Meredith held her gaze for a few seconds before turning around and returning inside.

Surreal didn't even begin to cover this interchange. On one hand, Meredith spoke so clearly. On the other hand, her nebulous words sounded like another language spoken by a foreign informant.

Jo sat down on a bench outside, attempting to simply take in all of the morning's conversations and experiences. Sufficient time hadn't passed to begin to sort out details. Even so, simply sitting still was feasible. Clarity would emerge later. Right now, stillness and a few deep breaths were just what the doctor ordered for herself.

Jo had been sitting for about five minutes when her phone vibrated. She reached into her purse and read a text from Alex, _Phone was in the other room. Just saw your text._

Jo's confused expression held her thoughts, _Ok, Alex. And…? _

Another text popped onto the screen, _U done? Ok? _

Jo typed a quick response, _yes. Think so._

_Wanna talk? _Alex typed. He looked at the words before hitting 'send.' _Is that too pushy? Should I step back? Hell. _Alex closed his eyes tightly and pressed send as if his hesitation and positive intentions would be sent along with his typing.

Jo sighed and smiled when his words appeared. _Yes._

She'd barely sent her response when her phone rang. "Hey," Alex greeted.

"Hi," Jo responded slowly.

Simultaneously, both parties spoke, with Jo starting, "How are you?" and Alex asking, "How'd it go?" After brief chuckling, they both remained silent.

Alex cleared his throat and asked, "Can I see you?"

"Yeah," Jo affirmed. Each interchange faltered as both Jo and Alex attempted to share just the right words.

Another awkward silence hung in the air, then, again, they both spoke at same time. Alex suggested, "I can head into town," as Jo explained, "Dr. Grey just told me you're at her place." Then, attempting to facilitate a smoother conversation, they each said, "Go ahead." Their duet brought laughter as Jo quickly added, "You go." Alex repeated his suggestion and Jo responded with her previous words.

"Yeah, why don't you come out here? Can you grab something to eat and bring it with you? All the food here has to be cooked and prepared – even the kids' food," Alex grumbled.

Jo smiled at Alex's endearing love for all foods unhealthy, "I guess pizza deliveries are out of the question out there, hmmm? Yes, I'll bring something."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Meredith's phone rang. It was unusual for Alex to call rather than text, so Meredith was puzzled when she peeked at the caller ID. "Alex?" she answered.

"Mer, she's coming out here. Is that a good thing?" Alex asked with a hint of desperation.

"Alex Karev, are you asking me for relationship advice?" she teased.

"Yeah, how stupid am I?" Alex dryly retorted.

Meredith chose to ignore his jab and share her insight, "If the two of you can actually discuss your feelings openly and honestly, listen to one another, and share from your hearts, all will be well."

"Crap," Alex moaned. Uncomfortable and feeling over his head, Alex added snark to maneuver away from the vulnerability, "Kind of like you and Derek, huh?"

"Alllleexxxx…." Meredith warned. "Dare to be vulnerable. You just might shock yourself with the results." She hung up the phone confident that Alex was more equipped for his upcoming conversation than he believed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`'

Via text, Jo arranged for Alex to pick her up at the ferry docks. They could pick up lunch together by the dock and then head to the house. She didn't want to get lost on the twisting, unfamiliar roads on the way to the Grey-Shepherd house. Besides, why haul two cars across the sound?

As the ferry trudged across the water, Jo stood on the windy deck letting the cool air lighten her burdens and second thoughts. Just as she had replayed the morning in the NICU in her mind multiple times, she ran the morning's interview with Hunt, Robbins and Webber through her mind over and over. Deep down, she felt a sense of peace. Nothing had indicated that she should be concerned and both Webber and Robbins had offered words of reassurance.

As her mind wandered, Jo pondered her relationship with Alex and the tensions that had arisen in the last couple weeks. Lately, Alex had been hostile, self-focused, and impatient. The way that he intervened in the NICU, even if he'd felt an urgency to act, was insensitive and abrupt. Jo couldn't imagine that he would have said the same words to any other resident. Certainly, he might have been angry and insistent; however, he would not have sent the resident home in front of other staff. Perhaps Dr. Grey was right – Jo's task now was to hold him accountable.

She was fairly certain that their bond was strong enough for the challenge and the truth-telling, yet she was scared. Jo tightened her coat around her body as she watched the water. For the first time in weeks, even amidst all the uneasiness, she experienced a fleeting sense of serenity. Without a doubt, her commitment to Alex was inviolable. Alex, despite his shortcomings and moodiness, was deeply committed to their relationship. Jo inhaled a deep breath and grinned. Everything would be alright.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`'

As the ferry docked, Jo saw Alex standing outside and waiting for her. He was rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. After blowing on them, he looked up and caught her eye. The relief and love on his face was beyond evident as he grinned at her. Subtly, she waved at him and he offered a macho nod in response.

Jo ran quickly down the stairs, hoping to disembark as soon as possible. A line of pedestrians had already formed. At the same time, Alex walked quickly toward the closest exit and waited for Jo impatiently.

People began to file past Alex. He looked at his watch reflexively as if noting the time would bring Jo through the exit sooner. Alex looked down at his shoes and then out at the water. Jo stepped toward him with a relieved smile and held out her hand, only to notice he wasn't looking her way. She stepped closer and lovingly set her hand on his shoulder. He quickly grasped her waist and picked her up as he hugged and held her.

Alex nuzzled his face into her neck and cheek, whispering, "I've missed you." Jo leaned her head against Alex's chest as he gently set her back on the ground, "Same here." Alex kept one arm around her tiny frame as he stepped forward toward the car. Jo leaned into his side as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"What should we grab to eat?" Alex asked. They walked across the street to a deli. Sandwiches and chips in hand, they headed to Meredith's.

Their drive to the house was silent, but not uncomfortable. A couple fingers from Alex's right hand twisted around a few fingers from Jo's left hand as Alex drove.

Alex pulled onto the property, he asked, "Well…uh…you want to eat inside? It's probably too cold to eat outside. Plus there are bears around here."

"There aren't any bears here, Alex!" Jo responded insistently. "You're just trying to find a reason for me to hold on to you tightly." Alex parked the car in the driveway.

"Do you need a reason?" Alex asked with a flirtatious smile. Then he leaned closer to Jo, grasped her chin and looked directly into her eyes, "And, there _are _bears out here. I've seen them. More than once."

"You're full of crap," Jo laughed. "Give it up, Jerk. I'm not buying it!" Jo opened the car door and walked up to the front door with Alex beside her. He unlocked the door as he balanced the food bag in one hand, then the couple walked inside.

As Alex set out their lunch on the bar counter, Jo's eyes widened. The house always blew her away. "It's so amazing, isn't it? This house, the views…it all takes my breath away."

"I'll take your breath away after lunch if you want," Alex teased.

"I'm sure you could," Jo giggled.


	12. Chapter 12 - Resolution

**Chapter 12**

**Jolex – Circuitous Route**

**Resolution**

Alex finished his lunch and gazed at Jo. His eyes were soft and his mouth turned up in a subtle grin. Jo, her mouth full of food, mumbled, "What?"

"Nothing," Alex mused.

Swallowing the bite she'd been chewing, Jo looked at him and asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

Alex reached over and grasped Jo's hand in his. "Just taking you in. I've missed you," he cooed.

Jo leaned to the side and questioned, "Excuse me, Sir, have you seen my fiancé? He resembles you except when he speaks." She sat back up and smiled proudly at her sass.

Alex stood up and pulled out her chair, then leaned down and whispered, "I wonder if he and I are alike in bed, too."

Jo sputtered and widened her eyes, "I guess we'll have to wait _until we get home _to find out."

"Nobody else is here," Alex flirted. "Besides, none of them will be home until late tonight."

Jo laughed uncomfortably, "Alex, I imagine that having sex at Dr. Grey and Dr. Shepherd's house would be like having sex with your high school boyfriend under your parents' roof."

"Exactly," Alex chuckled as he raised his eyebrows. "Kind of risky, kind of fun, just a little bit dangerous. A little worried about getting caught."

Jo smiled widely at him, stood up and happened to look out the window. Her expression went from playful to terrified in an instant. She jumped behind Alex and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Alex laughed and looked behind him, "What the hell?" He reached his arms backward and grasped his hands behind her back.

"There's…" Jo's voice was quivering and she began hopping from one foot to the other. She was so scared she couldn't speak, so she pointed toward the window.

Alex gathered his arms back and followed her finger, but saw nothing. He turned to face her and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked in her eyes and began to speak in a voice one would use when explaining something complicated to a 4 year old, "Jo, that's called nature. Trees…grass…"

"Jerk," Jo simultaneously laughed and remained concerned. "There was a bear and a cub."

"Nahh-uh," Alex responded, folding his arms. "Besides being able to fake cry, you can fake react to a wild bear?"

Jo grabbed his hand and led him closer to the window. Looking out and to the left, Alex jumped and Jo jumped onto his back. Alex yelled out and Jo screamed. They were both surprised to see that the Mama and baby bear were only about 20 feet away. Her voice shaking, Jo asked naively, "Is it going to break the window and attack us?"

Alex pretended the situation was life threatening. He grabbed her and ran to the sofa, kneeling down on the floor. Jo followed suit. He explained, "As long as she doesn't see us, she won't come in." Alex was laughing internally so hard that he could barely pretend he was scared.

Jo was sitting on the floor, hiding as well. She waved her hand in front of her face and was beginning to hyper-ventilate. Whispering, she advised, "She probably has excellent hearing too. So we should be really quiet." Alex nodded seriously.

The two sat there for a couple minutes, glancing at one another and peeking over the top of the couch silently. Alex spotted a metal handle on the coffee table and subtly rattled it.

"What was that?!" Jo exclaimed.

Alex gave her a sly grin, whispering, "I think the bear is trying the door. She must have forgotten her key." As he lay her down on the floor and slipped on his side next to her, he said softly, "You should see your face." Alex burst out in laughter. He was laughing so hard, tears were coming from his eyes.

"Alex, this isn't funny. Now is not a time to get the giggles," Jo commanded, still afraid the bear could break the window. She gritted her teeth and warned, "The bear might hear you."

Speaking through his laughter, Alex clarified, "The bear can't break in here. But see what happens when you don't believe me. I told you there were bears." He reached over and began to tickle her.

Jo pushed Alex onto his back and sat abruptly on his stomach, causing Alex to let out a grunt. She playfully and softly beat on his chest, narrowed her eyes and grumbled, "I can't believe you did that when I was so scared. You're rotten."

"You needed to laugh," Alex chuckled as he pretended to fend off her fists and attempted to put his flat hands between his chest and her tiny fists. "In the last 10 minutes, have you worried about this morning or our relationship or money? You needed a break." He lightly grabbed her fists without a problem and kissed each of them as he held her wrists. His stare bore into her eyes as he grinned suggestively. He whispered, "Come here, you." He let go of her wrists and placed his hands on her back, carefully bringing her closer to him. The two began to kiss and Jo ran her fingers through his short hair as he moaned happily.

Alex deftly slipped his hand under her shirt and undid her bra before rolling her onto her back. Jo pulled his t-shirt over his head. They had both missed each other so much. Bearing their souls and selves with words was so difficult, but being completely vulnerable physically felt safe and reassuring. Physical contact reconnected them.

Alex unbuttoned Jo's dress shirt she'd worn to the interview that morning, but couldn't manage to get it past her wrists. While the moment could have been killed, Alex being Alex saved it. He reached for her wrist and put one part of the wristband in his mouth and pulled the lower part of the wristband away, popping the button. "I'll buy you a new shirt," he grumbled as Jo delicately unbuttoned the other wristband with a light giggle. Alex grabbed the now loose shirt in his mouth and threw it to the side with a growl.

Sitting up on his knees, he reached down to pick her up and carried her into the guest room where he'd spent the last two nights. He gently set her on the bed as he pulled his shoes off with the toes of the opposite foot, undid his belt, and shimmied out of his jeans. Jo unbuttoned and unzipped her skirt. As she was about to pull it down, Alex leaned on the bed and gently pulled it off for her.

His hands explored her legs and the space in between. His lips followed his hands as he kissed her. Jo was in another dimension as Alex pleasured her. She forgot about being at the Shepherd-Grey home and surrendered completely to Alex's touch. Moaning in delight, Jo pawed at Alex's hair. He worked his way up onto her belly and breasts, then to her neck and mouth as they began truly making love for the first time in weeks.

In the afterglow, as they lay cuddled up in one another, Alex was on his back with his eyes closed, his arm around Jo, and his mouth grinning. Jo ran her finger along his arm, chest, and torso as her head lay upon him. Alex tightened his grip, unconsciously hoping she wouldn't move to look at him as he began to speak, "I feel like I have so much to say to you."

"Yeah?" Jo answered dreamily without moving.

"I just want to say it all first, then we can talk about it," Alex requested. Jo hummed an agreement. Continuing, Alex said, "Look, there is absolutely no excuse at all for what an ass I was in the NICU the other morning. I yelled at you in front of a bunch of people. I was nasty. A total jerk. There aren't enough words in the world to explain how sorry I am. I was a complete douche."

Jo opened her mouth to respond, believing that he had finished what he wanted to say. When Alex heard her utter a small sound, he reached over with his right hand and ran his fingers along her lips, "Shhh…there's more," he explained quietly. "I'm really sorry for calling you 'orphan girl' the other day. That was really mean. I've regretted saying that since the words came out of my mouth. I owe you a huge apology for the way I've been treating you and for what an ass I've been."

A tear escaped Jo's eye, rolled over the bridge of her nose and fell onto Alex's chest. She carefully uttered, "You really hurt me, Alex. I appreciate the apology. What would help is if I could understand why you've been so off-kilter lately. I know you and you haven't been yourself. You've been a hostile, edgy version of the Alex I know. Did I do something to upset you? Because if I did, I can't figure out what it was. I've tried."

Alex lifted his head just enough to kiss the top of Jo's head, then his hand caressed her hair. "Oh, Jo… no… no… you did nothing but put up with my crap. I think it started when Izzy was here." The second the words escaped from his lips, Alex felt awkward. Here he was intertwined with the love of his life and mentioning his first wife. It was just too weird.

Jo's heart sank. In the last few days, she'd worried that maybe his moods had something to do with Izzy. Her greatest fear what that Alex would yearn to return to Izzy or would consider returning to her now that he had seen her again. She tried to sound calm as she asked, "Do you still love her?"

"No…" Alex offered sharply, "Well, yeah, but no. I mean, there will always be a part of me that loves her, but not like I love you. Really. Have you been worried about that?" he asked in disbelief and surprise.

"A little," Jo whispered as she kissed his chest and closed her eyes. His arm tightened around her frame.

"Jo… no. Don't worry about that. That's not it at all," Alex whispered softly.

"But there's something, isn't there?" Jo asked tentatively.

"She wants my swimmers," Alex shrugged in mild disgust.

Jo leaned up on her elbow and looked quizzically at him, "What?" Alex wanted to embrace her scrunched up face with his hands – even when completely confused, she was adorable and irresistible.

"When Iz had cancer, the treatments were going to kill her eggs. The doctor harvested some of her eggs and I handed over a cup of my guys. We froze the fertilized eggs and she wants to get pregnant now. She wants to use those zygotes. I told her hell no," Alex described.

"Did she end up using them anyway? Why is that the reason you've been mad?" Jo attempted to sort it all out.

Alex pulled himself up so he was sitting with his back against the headboard. "The place holding the eggs won't release them without my permission and I've refused. I told Izzy no and then I looked in her chart so I could call the company and make my wishes completely clear. Just the whole stress of her coming and then asking me that like it was no big deal – it pissed me off. I mean, who the hell does she think I am that I'd be ok with a little Alex running around that I wouldn't know? Those eggs were frozen in case _we _wanted to have a baby together someday, not so she could become perimenopausal, freak out, and want to become a single mom."

Jo grimaced and ran her fingers along his cheekbone. "I'm proud of you, Alex."

Alex lowered his brow and pursed his lips, "What?"

"You made a decision with your best interests in mind. You are so good at taking care of Meredith when she calls you in the middle of the night. If someone needs a place to stay, your house is open to them. Your friends ask something of you, and you're right there without a second thought about what's in it for you. I'll bet you did the same for Izzy when you guys were married and she was sick. Alex always comes last in Alex's priorities. I'm glad you put yourself higher on the list this time." Jo offered.

"Whatever," Alex grumbled in an attempt to blow off Jo's insights.

Jo leaned against Alex's side and chest and wrapped her arms around him, "Not whatever," she insisted using a voice in an attempt to imitate Alex.

Alex chuckled, "Is that what I sound like?" He tickled her softly on her side.

Giggling, Jo smiled. "That's the voice I use for you when I'm telling an Alex story."

"And just who are you telling these stories too? You kiss and tell, huh? Never would have guessed it. I shoulda known," he teased.

Jo pushed on his shoulder, "You're trying to change the subject."

"What subject," he prodded.

Dryly, Jo clarified, "The eggs and making yourself a priority and why the interaction made you such an ass."

"Oh," Alex uttered flatly. "Yeah. I guess I was pretty pissed that she thought I wouldn't care about giving her my DNA and my guys. She acted like it was no big deal, like she was stopping at the store to pick up a carton of milk and a bunch of fertilized eggs. It pissed me off that my part in the whole thing was so simple and impersonal in her mind. So unemotional and disconnected. Like I was some anonymous donor."

"True love is never impersonal…or even simple, really," Jo mused.


	13. Chapter 13 - What Really Matters

**Chapter 13 – Jolex**

**What Really Matters**

Jo headed out the door by the ambulance bay to get a breath of fresh air. The morning had been steady and she was finally able to take a quick break 3 hours in to her shift. Just as Jo closed her eyes and leaned against the outside wall, an ambulance pulled up and stopped. Jo met the paramedic at the back of the vehicle and asked, "What do we have?"

The paramedic offered a summary and the patient's stats, "36 year old woman, Arly Savin, BP 100/60, was complaining of shortness of breath and pain in jaw, lost consciousness at her doctor's office, oxygen since we arrived. Doc worried about possible MI. Woman's two children are with us. Pretty scared."

Jo turned to see Kepner coming out the door and shared, "Possible MI for 36 year old mom. We'll need someone to be with the kids."

Kepner nodded, "You stay with them, find a nurse to turn them over to. Have someone check the diaper bag for Mom's cell phone and ICE contact. I've got Mom."

Surprised, Kepner turned to the paramedic as they entered the hospital and whispered, "She's only 36? MI? Really? You guys sure it's not severe anxiety?"

Paramedic nodded, "I know. Way too young for an MI. Seems odd to me."

Kepner leaned down to the patient, "Arly, I'm Dr. Kepner. Do you have any history of heart issues?"

The mom took off her oxygen mask. "No, but I've got tons of pain here," she explained pointing to her sternum.

Then Arly looked around, "Where are my babies? Can someone call my husband?"

Kepner reassured her, "Dr. Wilson has your children and they're safe. Let's check you out and see what's going on. We're right here. I've got you." The mom nodded.

As Kepner worked with the mom, the other paramedic introduced two little girls to Jo. "Lilly and Helena, this is Dr. Wilson. She is really nice. You're going to stay with her while the other doctor helps your mommy."

The paramedic handed Jo a one year old little girl, "This is Helena." Jo reached out her arms and greeting the baby, "Hi sweetie. I'm Jo." Then the paramedic turned to a four year old and reached out his hand to coax her out of the ambulance, "And this is Lilly. Lilly has been our really brave helper."

The paramedic had given Lilly a stray oxygen tube to hold onto, telling her she was his assistant and helper. "Can you give this to my mommy?" Lilly sniffled to Jo as she looked up at her with teary eyes.

Jo smiled and held out her hand toward Lilly, "Sure. Let's go inside and a nurse can take it to her for us, ok?" The little girl nodded and grasped Jo's hand tightly. The one year old had already snuggled into Jo's shoulder and was starting to fall asleep. The paramedic let Jo know that he would leave the diaper bag and car seats at the nurses' station.

When Jo and the girls entered the ER, one of the nurses came over and whispered to Jo, "Mom's not doing well. Dr. Pierce is with her." Jo nodded. "Has anyone reached her spouse?"

"Doctor's office just called. They got a hold of him and he is on his way," the nurse confirmed.

Jo decided the ER was not the ideal environment for two little girls and suggested, "I think I'll take the girls up to the play room in peds. Can you make sure Pierce and Kepner know?" The nurse nodded as she stepped back toward Arly's treatment room.

Up in Peds, the playroom was well stocked so Lily was able to immerse herself in playing pretend while Jo continued to hold Helena, the one year old. Every time Jo attempted to set the baby down, she'd wake up and scream.

Having just rounded on some of his patients in Peds, Alex was walking by the playroom on his way to the NICU. He saw Jo holding a baby and swaying her back and forth as she watched another child playing.

"Hi there," Alex cooed softly to Lilly as he entered the playroom. "I'm Dr. Karev."

"Hi," Lilly smirked as she returned to stacking blocks on a table.

"What's the story?" Alex asked Jo as he stood up. He put his hand on the baby's back and smiled. Helena was fast asleep.

"Their mom is in the ER. Possible MI. Dad's on his way," Jo explained. Jo and Alex chatted as they passed the time waiting to hear updates from the ER. After about 40 minutes, April approached the playroom with a grim look on her face and with a man in his mid-30s. Subtly, April shook her head to indicate the Mom had not survived. Later, Maggie determined a previously unidentified congenital defect had triggered the Mom's cardiac arrest. There was nothing anyone could have done to save her.

Seeing Kepner through the glass, Jo sighed deeply. "Alex," Jo uttered softly, "I think that's the husband."

Jo turned to Lilly and asked, "Lilly, is that your daddy?"

Lilly looked up and smiled as she ran to the door. Her father was just about to step through it when his daughter approached. Looking blotchy, the man's face spoke of his reality. The grief had taken over his face, his eyes appeared empty, and his movements were almost robotic. He was coping by the second, raw and stunned. Instinctually, Mr. Savin picked Lilly up and held her in his arms. His tight hug and full embrace spoke volumes.

"Thank you for tending to my daughters," Mr. Savin shared. "Their mom… she was very protective. I'm sure she was thankful someone was here to care for them."

"It was my pleasure, Mr. Savin. I can help as long as you need. Do you have paperwork to complete or anything else you need to do?" Jo asked.

"No," the man sputtered numbly, "No. I did all that. I'm… I'm ready to take the girls home. They're all that matter right now."

"Can we call someone to drive you home?" April inquired.

"My brother is downstairs. He's with me. Thank you," the young newly-single father muttered.

After Jo and April helped Mr. Savin take his girls and their carseats to the car, they stood silently and watched the car drive away.

"Just this morning," Kepner cried, "they were a nice little family with a bright future awaiting them. Before she became unconscious, the mom told me how much she loved being a wife and mother… Now she's gone. Just like that."

Jo listened and took in April's words. "When he came to get them, he said 'the girls are all that matter now.' They'll be his reason to live. Life changes too quickly sometimes and it doesn't make sense."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`'

Mid-afternoon, Owen scheduled a meeting with Robbins, Webber, and Karev to share the outcome of the investigation surrounding Jo's errors. For the last three days, Jo had been allowed to work limited shifts as the determination was reached. Alex sat at the conference room table, tapping a pen on a pad of paper while he and Owen waited for Robbins and Webber to arrive.

"Without a doubt," Owen began once all were present, "no clear responsibility can be determined on each error that was part of our investigation. Dr. Wilson _was _present in each of those surgeries, but whether or not she created the complications in each patient cannot be determined. However, the behavior on the day in the NICU, the intubation challenges, and her hesitancy to call a code were serious errors. In conferring with Dr. Webber earlier as coordinator for the residency program, we'd like to put a proposal forward."

Richard shared, "In an effort to ensure and strengthen Dr. Wilson's ability to perform intubations and to determine the necessity of calling a code, I will work with another doctor to create drills and skills labs that will address these concerns."

"Can we all agree to that course of action?" Owen asked Karev and Robbins. Both shook their heads in agreement.

"Now regarding the insubordination," Owen began.

Alex interrupted, "Can't we just chalk that up to relationship tension and slap my hands on that one?"

"No, we can't, Alex," Arizona opined. "This is an opportunity to set an example for all of the other residents." With obvious great frustration, Karev sighed audibly and threw his pen toward the top of his pad of paper.

"Wilson will be suspended for two weeks without pay, beginning on Monday," Owen declared. Webber and Robbins agreed, while Alex folded his arms and stared directly at Hunt.

"Are we done?" Alex snapped as he quickly scrawled a note.

"Yes, Karev, we're done. Please let the three of us share the determinations with Wilson. We'll be calling her in here momentarily," Owen requested.

"Whatever," Alex grumbled as he stepped out in obvious frustration after handing Arizona a piece of paper stating he'd be on vacation for two weeks starting on Monday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Word about Jo's situation spread quickly among the attendings because some changes to the resident assignments needed to be made. When Alex stormed down the hallway of the ER about an hour after the memo had been emailed, April attempted to stop him.

"Alex," April called.

"Not now, Kepner. Call Robbins if you need a consult," Alex growled.

April sighed. "Alex, I don't need a consult. I need you."

He couldn't help himself. Alex heard those words, stopped walking and turned to April stating in his deepest and thickest sarcasm, "Kepner…I thought you'd never ask."

"I'm trying to help you. Well, actually, I'm trying to help Jo. Can you simply be human for just… I don't know… just one minute?" April implored with exasperation.

"You planning to take out Hunt and Webber? If so, I'm in," Alex jested.

"Alex…" April muttered. "Would you come in here and listen to me for 30 seconds?" April grabbed Alex's arm and led him inside an exam room.

"Really, April, I mean c'mon, you're married…I'm engaged. You shoulda said something long ago," Alex chuckled as he sassed.

"Shut. Up." April insisted as she stomped a foot heavily onto the floor. "Shut up and listen to me. I have a friend who works for International Medical Relief. It's like Doctors Without Borders."

"I've heard of them," Alex responded with skepticism. "Go on."

"Jackson is going on a 10 day trip to Malawi that leaves Monday. Two pediatric surgeons from Seattle Pres had to cancel at the last minute and now some of the plans for the trip are in jeopardy. The organization is willing to waive all standard fees because their need for Peds surgeons is so critical on this trip. If the two of you, or if Wilson, wants to fill those spots, I'm fairly certain Jackson and I could arrange that," April offered.

"Hmmm…" Alex considered.

Sensing her opportunity, April continued, "This particular trip is focused on assisting widows, orphans and impoverished families. Two-thirds of the people there live in extreme poverty and half of the children under 5 are malnourished. The children there need you and your skills, Alex."

Alex huffed and grinned with a hint of disbelief. "Yeah… you're just hoping some crazy chieftan will kidnap me."

"Take it or leave it, Karev. It just seemed like a better way to spend time off. What matters more – sleeping in, sitting around at home, and eating pizza and cereal or making a profound difference in the world?" April shrugged as she departed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Before she entered the conference room, Jo sent a text to Alex confirming that he'd meet her at Joe's as soon as she finished meeting with Hunt, Webber, and Robbins. He had warned her the news might be upsetting, but had also assured her that it wasn't as big of a deal as it would seem to be in the moment. He responded to her text by sending her words he would have trouble following but that he knew would serve her well, _React as little as possible, thank them for their time, and shake their hands when they're done. _He immediately sent another text, _Then come to Joe's and get drunk with me. _

Awhile later, Jo walked across the street to the bar. She was determined to make the best of the situation she was facing. She snuck up behind Alex, wrapped her arms around him, and whispered in his ear, "Hey, handsome, looks like I won't be paid for the next couple weeks. Wanna keep me warm and fed?"

As he turned around to hug Jo, Alex chuckled, "You bet. You ok?"

"What am I gonna do, you know?" Jo responded with a shrug. "I lost it, I screwed up, I'll face the music and move on. It's all I can do."

"No, it's not," Alex shared as he pushed a beer over to her.

Jo took a drink and looked at him with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Remember when you were all hot for that Army thing and living in a tent and all that crap?" Alex asked.

Jo laughed, "Yeah, all that crap. I remember. What? Are you planning to send me away to Kuwait or Iraq or something?"

"Let's go to Malawi," Alex declared with a smirk. Seeing Jo's perplexed expression, he added, "Really. I mean it."

"Malawi? I'm ashamed to say I don't even know where that is," Jo admitted.

"Neither do I, but Avery and Kepner know," remarked Alex. "Kepner was telling me about this trip. Avery is going and the group leaves on Monday for 10 days. They need peds surgeons. No tents – I checked. It's not the Hilton but it's not Iraq either. What the hell, let's go."

"This is so spontaneous, so unlike you Mr. "I want to put down roots and not leave home,"" Jo teased.

Alex rolled his eyes, "It's 10 days not a 3 month military tour of duty. Kinda different, don't you think?"

"Finish your beer and let's go find out more," Jo beamed. "Sounds like a great way to make the next two weeks matter."


	14. Chapter 14 - Laughter and Smiles

Jolex – Chapter 14

Laughter and Smiles

After 30+ hours of travel, Avery, Karev, and Wilson arrived in Malawi. The on-the-ground coordinator for their trip, Heather, met them at the airport. Heather explained that the group of 10 doctors and 12 nurses would be meeting up for orientation that evening at the southern shore of Lake Malawi, a crystal clear and stunning lake that served as a source for the world's aquarium fish.

Once all the medical professionals had arrived, Heather gathered with the group members at the lakeshore. She offered a basic overview as she explained, "Malawi is one of the poorest countries in Africa with high rates of poverty, hunger, infant mortality, and illiteracy. Unemployment is also high. Much of the economy is agriculture-based and reliant on subsistence farming. Most of the housing is made from mud bricks or cement blocks. The roofs are made from iron sheeting or local grasses. Most people have no access to electricity, although many aid agencies have begun to install solar energy panels. Producing clean water is also a high priority. Malawi has over 16 million in population and 6% of the population (1 million children) are orphans. 50% of Malawi's population is under 15, yet the country has only 3 pediatric surgeons within its borders. Many orphans' parents died from HIV/AIDs."

Heather went on to explain that the surgeons would spend the majority of their time on simple surgeries that would improve quality of life. Time and effort could not be spent on surgeries that would end up requiring complex or long-term follow up care because there was no assurance such care would be available when needed. As a plastic surgeon and ENT, Jackson would focus on addressing cleft lips and palates as well as simple ear, nose, and throat procedures. Jo and Alex would work on both abdominal conditions and traumatic injuries that occurred during their visit. Although not the case on this trip, much focus was often placed on ortho needs during other trips.

While the days were long, the surgeons worked well with one another and the patients were grateful and upbeat. The smiles and joy on the children's faces kept the medical providers' spirits high and the interventions the medical providers offered encouraged the children and their families. Except in the case of trauma surgeries, the death rate was very low because the surgeries were simple procedures.

Because there were no electric lights, shifts could not easily last much beyond sunset. The doctors and nurses tended to gather at night for a bonfire by the lake after they applied copious amounts of bug spray. The end-of-day conversations led to meaningful sharing among the visitors. Being away from home and away from everyday life meant that vulnerability came more easily for the sometimes guarded caregivers.

During their 10 day experience, Alex heard more about Jo's experience as an orphan than he'd ever heard in the 4+ years they had been together. The group, surrounded by orphans and children whose families could not provide for them, shared conversation about the pros and cons of orphanages (like the ones where many of their patients were living), foster care (with its varying degrees of oversight), and family members assuming care of orphaned children.

By the first Thursday of the experience, word had spread that the surgeons were in town. People walked great distances to be seen by the doctors. One little boy, Sekani, was brought to the clinic where Karev and Wilson were working. The orphanage worker who brought Sekani with her had also brought three other children to the clinic. The three others, all girls, had serious ortho deformities that the group could not address. However, Sekani, whose name meant laughter, would be able to undergo surgery for a hernia. He was 6 months old, thin but vibrant, and incredibly flirtatious. His happy demeanor lit up the room as he laughed and learned from one of the nurses how to play peek-a-boo.

Jo learned from the orphanage worker that Sekani's father had died in a building collapse shortly after the boy had been conceived. His mother died from a post-birth infection when the baby was only 4 weeks old. As she listened to the story and as she examined the baby, Sekani reached for Jo's hands and hair. He smiled at her, reached for his foot, and giggled to himself.

Alex came over to see if Jo needed anything from him after he had finished with one consult but before he began another. Upon seeing Alex, Sekani immediately sat up tall and began babbling to gain Alex's attention. When Alex let out a surprised chuckle, Sekani laughed right back and reached for Alex's stethoscope. Placing the earbuds in the baby's ears, Alex put the stethoscope on the baby's heart. When Sekani heard his heartbeat, he oohed and aahed. Then Alex moved the stethoscope onto his own heart and the baby reacted with low and slow noises, attempting to mimic what he heard.

Sekani's surgery was set for the next day; however, the caregiver explained that she had to return to the orphanage with the other children. Heather suggested that the worker leave Sekani in Alex and Jo's care for the night and return for him the following Sunday. Since the baby was not recovering or ill, the doctors decided to take him to their room after gathering the baby food and supplies they would need for the night. The couple decided to skip the bonfire that night, saying they did not want to keep the baby up too late. Truthfully, they couldn't wait to take him to their room and play with him. All three were smitten.

"He is such a charmer!" Jo exclaimed as the three of them played on the small double bed. Sekani loved to move his chin far to his left and then quickly bring it back to center with a smile and wait for an adult to react. He also could not get enough of his newly discovered game peek-a-boo. Basically, any action that received a reaction was added to Sekani's bag of tricks.

"You are a charmer," Alex gabbed in baby talk, "Yes, you are. You're a flirt." The more funny faces Alex made, the more Sekani laughed and attempted to imitate Alex's expressions. As Alex took a bite of a banana, Sekani reached for the fruit. "He can have some, don't you think?" Alex asked.

"He's six months old, I don't see why not," Jo responded as she reached over and picked off a part of the banana. She put it in Sekani's mouth and he "mmmm'd" as he gummed it. Then he opened his mouth wide, hoping for more. "Apparently, it's dinner time," Jo observed with a smile. She stood up to mix a little baby cereal while Alex continued with the popular banana bites.

After dinner, Sekani discovered a set of keys Alex accidentally brought with him to Malawi. The baby was intrigued by the sounds and textures and was captivated by the rubber bauble on the ring. Sekani played with the keys until he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Without much fuss, the baby fell asleep between Alex and Jo as they sprawled out on their sides facing one another and admiring the sweet baby in their midst.

Once Sekani was asleep, the couple whispered back and forth as they rested their heads on pillows and provided safety barriers on either side of the baby.

"We have a lot of fun together, Alex, but I'm not sure we've ever laughed together so much as we have tonight," Jo observed with a grin.

Alex quipped, "Well, if you grabbed your foot more often and chewed on your toes, I'd probably laugh a lot more."

Jo shoved Alex's shoulder playfully as she giggled, "Alex!"

"You love me and you know it," Alex grinned.

"You've got me figured out there, pal," Jo admitted. Her eyes softened as they gazed at his face.

Alex reached up to Jo's cheek and stroked it as he kissed her. Slowly, softly, and gently, the two shared extended kisses before fading to sleep facing the baby and one another.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

The next morning, Sekani woke both Jo and Alex up with his boisterous and happy babbling. Jo hugged the baby and kissed him, then the baby snuggled his head on her chest as he reached an arm out toward Alex. The three ended up in a morning group hug, orchestrated by Sekani.

An hour later, Jo and Alex performed Sekani's 40 minute surgery without complications. After leaving the baby in the care of the post-op nurse, the couple moved on to the next surgery on their docket. By the afternoon, Sekani was awake and cheery. His early recovery proceeded well and, once again, Jo and Alex placed Sekani between them in their bed.

"Hey, tomorrow we've got some free time. Do you want to go check out the touristy areas or the lake or something?" Alex inquired before they fell asleep. "I know you're not that into the beach. We could hike or check out the lake."

Jo smiled softly. "Sure. Jackson mentioned something about a fruit orchard tour. Sounds boring but it really could be interesting."

"Sekani says he's cool with that as long as it involves bananas," Alex grinned as he stroked the sleeping baby's head.

Jo laughed in response and offered, "We could also join some of the others who are going to scout out waterfalls."

"I'll go," Alex began as he leaned over and kissed Jo, "absolutely anywhere you want to go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~'

At the morning meeting during breakfast, Heather suggested that anyone wanting to explore and sightsee go together. Her plan was to begin at a fruit orchard and then make their way to some waterfalls. Because the weather would get warmer as the day unfolded, Heather's hope was to return to the medical clinic by mid-afternoon. At the falls, though, there would be ample opportunity to jump in the water and swim.

Before leaving, one of the local clinic nurses showed Alex and Jo how to tie a _chitenje _so the 2 meter long piece of fabric could be used as a baby carrier. The chitenje was used an outer wrap worn by women that could be used as an apron, a baby carrier, and even a basket. She wrapped the chitenje around Jo and helped her place the baby in it. Even though the carrier was customarily worn by women, Alex had no problem wearing one if it meant he'd have a turn holding the baby.

As the Seattle contingent walked together at one point, Jackson observed, "You two have found quite the friend," Reaching out to the baby and moving his finger closer and further away in a game of Catch Me If You Can, Jackson and the Sekani laughed with one another as the baby sat in Alex's _chitenje._ Sekani's dark and deep brown eyes met Jackson's mystical and deep blue eyes. As someone distracted Jo with a question about Seattle, Jackson patted Alex's shoulder and asked, "You guys… umm… you're both beaming as you fuss over that baby."

"Nah… he's just a cute kid. No big deal," Alex downplayed Jackson's impression. Moments later, Jackson saw Alex kiss the baby's head and look at Sekani with adoration.

As the group hiked and rounded the corner of a trail, they stepped from a tree covered trail to a majestic site of roaring waterfalls. The falls filled the view, taking everyone's breath away. Sekani ooh'd as well, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Can you, uh, hold him for a sec?" Alex asked Jackson.

Jackson lowered his brow and nodded as he reached for the baby, "Yeah. Sure." The baby immediately began fussing when he left Alex's arms.

Alex walked over to Jo who was standing in awe of the site before her. "I… I can barely… breathe," Jo sputtered. "It is so… so incredible."

Alex wrapped his arms around his fiancé and whispered in her ear, "Let's get married here. With these falls pouring down behind us and with the roaring sound filling our ears."

Jo's mouth fell open as she twisted her neck so she could see Alex. She met his eyes and added, "And with this mist falling on our faces and with the sun shining on us."

Alex grasped Jo and turned her body toward his quickly as he drew her body into his and kissed her. A few seconds later, she leaned back just a little. She looked in his eyes and giggled softly as he leaned his forehead onto hers and traced the edge of her jawbone with his pinky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`'

The group returned to the medical clinic for a slow and relaxed afternoon. Instead of heading directly back to their room, Alex and Jo decided to walk along the water with Sekani hoping to help him fall asleep for a nap. After taking each step hand in hand with Jo and holding Sekani with his _chitenje_, Alex was more grounded and at peace than he'd ever experienced. He felt like smacking himself upside the head, because the emotions he was feeling seemed almost silly.

The baby fell asleep peacefully and stayed asleep as Alex set him on the bed when they returned to their room. Jo mentioned she was going to grab a cat nap as well, and Alex excused himself to go get more baby food and diapers for Sekani. On his way to the clinic, Alex stopped to chat with Heather about how to pull off a wedding in Malawi at the waterfalls. Luckily, she knew just who to call.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

On Sunday afternoon, the wedding began with a Malawian tradition involving a chitenje. The particular chitenje they used would serve as a gift from the medical clinic community to the Karev's. In the tradition, the guests stood in a semi-circle. A group of women sang and danced as a man hidden under a _chitenje _was escorted to the center of the circle. Although taller than Alex, the Americans assumed this man was the groom. However, one of the other medical staffers lifted the _chitenje_ and shook his head no when he discovered Jackson underneath. The women then uncovered Jackson and left him with the guests. They went back and sang and danced as they led Alex out under the _chitenje_. Alex then awaited his bride as he stood in the center of the half circle the guests created.

The ladies then escorted a woman hidden under a _chitenje_ to Alex. They encouraged him to lift it and confirm the woman was his bride. He looked under the cloth and laughed when he discovered one of the local women was under the _chitenje. _A second veiled woman was then brought to him as the ladies sang and danced. Alex decided to be more playful this time around, fairly certain this was Jo. He turned the covered woman around, noted her height against his height, then set his hand on her back end with a sly grin as he drew her close to himself and lifted the cloth to discover his bride. One of the local women had braided flowers into Jo's hair, and Alex swept a stray piece of her hair behind her ear as he locked his eyes onto hers.

As volumes of water roared down the waterfalls and onto the rocks behind them, Alexander Michael Karev promised his love to Josephine Wilson and then Jo did the same to Alex. The bride wore a flowing skirt with a simple white blouse while the groom wore khakis and a button down shirt. Mist that could be seen through the light of the sun beams fell upon the couple lightly.

The couple promised their unending love and dedication to one another and then exchanged Malawian rings. Alex's ring was a wide, flat, matte gold band and Jo's twisted band held a Malawian sapphire. As a local pastor pronounced them husband and wife, the groom kissed his bride. Then Alex picked her up and turned around as he held her up and looked at her with love.

That night's bonfire was a jubilant celebration complete with voluminous cell phone selfies, videos, and snapshots. During a moment of rare cell phone reception and with Jo and Alex's permission, Jackson was able to text a wedding picture to April and Meredith. As Mer received the text, her eyes became uncharacteristically misty - she had never seen Alex shining as brightly and happily as he was in the photo.


	15. Chapter 15 - Heading Home

**Chapter 15**

**Heading Home**

Word reached the medical clinic on Sunday that the woman from the orphanage would not be returning to pick up Sekani. The orphanage was simply too full and there was no longer room for the little boy. The reality of the desperation and dire poverty of the area became starkly obvious.

While anxious about the development, Heather was thankful that Sekani hadn't been picked up and then left along a trail somewhere. As horrific as such a situation sounded, the extreme lack of resources caused people to resort to actions one would never consider in a 1st World country. Here, in Malawi, nobody _wanted _to do something so heartbreaking and cruel, but Heather had heard of it happening every once in a while.

Heather spent the day scrambling to contact local officials and to figure out next steps. A child had never been abandoned at the clinic and the clinic was not equipped to house and raise orphans. Besides, other babies and children would most likely be abandoned and placed in the clinic's care if word spread that Sekani had been left at the clinic. Somehow, Heather had to simultaneously send a clear message that the clinic would not accept abandoned children while also ensuring that Sekani would be cared for once the clinic released him.

When everyone else went to eat lunch, Alex offered to stay behind to check on all the patients. When a couple nurses returned to tag him out, Alex walked along the trail toward the food. He encountered Heather staring at the ground as she sat alongside the trail.

"Hey, everything ok?" Alex asked, "You look pretty preoccupied."

Heather looked up with a small grin, trying her best to be pleasant and upbeat in the midst of a sad situation. She disclosed, "The orphanage sent word that they no longer have room for Sekani. They won't be coming back to pick him up."

"Can they do that?" Alex inquired incredulously.

"Technically, probably not. But there's so little infrastructure here. If the orphanage says they do not have room, they really don't have room. I'm guessing they are also low on food and supplies. To my knowledge, the orphanage has never turned a child away. This whole situation is surreal," Heather explained with vacant eyes.

Alex sat down next to Heather and looked at her with concern, sharing, "It's hard to imagine being that desperate. Nobody could ever meet that kid and even consider turning him away, but here… I dunno. Life is so fragile and day-by-day. So little has to stretch so far."

"I know," Heather agreed. "I have no idea what to do about the sweet little boy everyone has come to adore. Maybe that's why he was the one left – because he is so captivating and social. It's far more likely Sekani can find a home than another child with deformities, a serious illness, or a sour hunger-induced mood." Heather's words hung in the air as she and Alex both stared at the ground.

After two or three minutes, Alex broke the silence and patted Heather's shoulder as he declared, "I know exactly what needs to be done. Come with me."

Heather and Alex walked to the area where everyone else was eating. When he spotted Jo, she was feeding and holding Sekani. With each bite, Jo's mouth widened and made a noise similar to someone saying 'aahhhh' as their throat was being examined. Sekani imitated Jo and leaned toward the approaching spoon. When Sekani closed his lips around the bite, Jo would smile or praise him.

Alex walked right over to her, grasped her hand, and stated insistently yet lovingly, "Jo, we need to talk."

Jo's brow furrowed with confusion and responded, "Umm… ok." She stood up with the baby in her arms and followed Alex outside. "Alex, what's going on?" Jo questioned as her brows drew closer toward the bridge of her nose.

"Sekani," Alex began. When the baby heard his name, he cooed and responded by reaching toward Alex. Sekani tightly grasped Alex's finger with his tiny hand. Alex chuckled and then returned his attention to Jo. "The orphanage is not coming to pick him up. They don't have room. Heather is guessing they don't have the resources either. This country…the level of poverty is just so sad."

When Jo heard the news of the day, she choked up. Shaking her head, she looked up at Alex as if she was hoping he could insist something be done. "Alex, they can't. They can't just leave him. I don't understand. How…"

"Call me crazy," Alex interjected. "Hell, you already know I'm crazy. Anyway, call me whatever you want. Let's make this baby our own. We love him and he loves us. We need him and he needs us," Alex declared. "Let's find out what it will take to adopt him and bring him home."

"I was going to say the same thing," Jo nodded as tears gathered in her eyes. She leaned toward Alex as they embraced and kissed. Sekani gave them nearly a minute to focus on one another before he began babbling to ensure that someone was paying attention to the baby and giving him kisses.

"Hey, Little Man, would you like to become a crazy Karev?" Jo asked. The baby smiled at Jo as he responded to her voice and the attention.

Alex wrapped his arm around Jo and leaned his head against hers. "I love you," he stated as his eyes gazed into hers.

She echoed, "I love you." Then, looking down at Sekani and stroking his head, Jo added, "And, little man, I love you too." Alex grinned and rubbed the baby's back then leaned down to kiss his cheek. Sekani gave Alex a wide mouthed, sloppy baby kiss in return. Rather than moan about the baby spit or say something about how gross it was, Alex chuckled as he wiped his cheek.

The couple returned to the lunch table and sat next to Heather. Alex shared, "I'm just going to come right out and say it, Heather. We'd like to adopt Sekani. Do you know anything about how we do that?"

Heather stood up and hugged each of them, "Are you sure? Really? Oh that would be so wonderful."

"There isn't a doubt in our minds," Jo assured her. "But we have absolutely no idea what to do next."

After lunch, Heather began making phone calls. Her long-standing presence in the community was a key to maneuvering through the Malawian bureaucracy. One of her friends at a local office knew someone who worked at the US Embassy. Both workers made calls and spoke to numerous people. Between the efforts of the local officials and the embassy, Heather was able to arrange for an expedited adoption process.

Due to someone knowing someone who knew someone in Seattle, a case worker in the United States agreed to allow the adoption steps to occur out of order. Sekani's visa was granted and the initial steps of the process usually completed before the child traveled to his or her new home would follow. While Sekani would live with the Karev's during the process, the adoption would not be finalized until all of the conditions were met. For the time being, the couple would undergo a home study and Sekani would officially be considered a foster child. If the adoption did not work out, Sekani would return to Malawi as an orphan. Fully adopted or not, Alex and Jo embraced the baby as their own. All of the steps and paperwork were simply bureaucratic procedures to muddle through.

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`'**_

After such a major shift in plans, Alex and Jo began talking about logistics. Would the hospital daycare have enough room to accept Sekani? Would the new parents work different shifts so the baby could be home more than anywhere else? Which room in the house would be his and how would they explain the situation to Meredith? They would still sell her the house, but now they worried that the loft would need to be somewhat restored before they moved a baby into it. The details piled on and on, but the little family remained full of hope and laughter.

A radically life-changing 10 days of medical treatment and surgeries, Jo and Alex prepared to leave. The supplies they had brought would remain in Malawi. In one sense, they were leaving with a far lighter load; however, their hearts and family were now larger. Their short time in the country that had captivated them had included a down to earth wedding with a waterfall backdrop and an immediate addition to their family. Yet, both Alex and Jo sensed deep clarity about all that had transpired in Malawi. They had no doubt whatsoever that their marriage and their adoption of Sekani were the perfect next moves in their journey together.

Although neither Jo nor Alex wanted to leave, Jo felt especially connected to this amazing foreign land that had worked its way deeply into her heart. As part of the adoption agreement, Jo and Alex were asked to pledge to remain connected to Malawi in the future. As far as they were concerned, return trips were a given. Agreeing to return was no problem.

Before leaving, the Karevs hiked back to their wedding spot and took a picture with Sekani. "You realize that we'll have to come to this same spot with each kid and take another family picture, right?" Alex noted.

Jo offered a knowing smile as she thought to herself, _this is the Alex I love to glimpse. He's a compassionate and sentimental marshmallow inside. _

"What?" Alex questioned as he watched Jo become lost in her thoughts.

Jo responded, "I was just thinking about how wonderful those trips will be. We are three kids with messed up childhoods joining together. We're a family."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Alex grinned.

Jo smiled and announced, "I've never had a family before, and I think I'm really going to like it."

"You're my everything," Alex shared as he held his phone up and captured a family selfie as he kissed Jo's cheek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

As the Seattle contingent walked to their gate at the airport, Jackson asked, "So, how are you guys going to do this? Can I tell people? Is there anything you want me to say or not say?"

Jo looked to Alex for an answer. He replied, "Say or do whatever. Wanna throw us a baby party? 'Cause we weren't planning on bringing a 6 month old home, we have no baby supplies, and, honestly, I'm not even sure what we need to buy," Alex joked.

"Sure," Jackson responded, "I'm up for that. Just a sec, let me text April." Jackson smiled softly and typed out a text to April asking if she was free on Saturday to help throw an adoption party at Karev's house. She immediately sent a return text that read, _I'm off all day Saturday, but ?. Adoption party? Don't you mean wedding reception?_

As the group sat down in the waiting area by their gate, Jackson held up his phone and prompted, "Hold your hands up so your wedding rings will be in the picture, put Sekani in-between you, and smile." Jackson snapped the photo, then typed out a text that read, _Meet the newest member of the Karev family, Sekani, next Saturday at the Karev home. Combo wedding reception – baby party from 4-8 hosted by the Kepner-Averys. _"How's that? I can send it to my hospital contact group."

"I was just kidding," Alex chuckled.

"No, really, April and I would love to do this for you guys," Jackson insisted.

Jo intervened and graciously said, "That would be wonderful, Jackson. Thanks."

Avery filled in the contact field and pressed send. The party was on.


	16. Chapter 16 - Questions

Jolex – Circuitous Route

Chapter 16 Questions

As Alex and Meredith walked down the hospital hallway, Alex kept pulling up pictures on his phone and telling Meredith, "Oh, yeah, and look at this one!" Pictures of the wedding were outnumbered only by pictures of Sekani. "And here's the spot where we were married, Mer. Look at that. Look at those waterfalls. It was beyond description."

"I am so happy for you, Alex," Meredith confirmed with a reserved grin.

"But…?" Alex inquired, sensing that Meredith was holding back.

"What do you mean?" Meredith asked, trying to cover her deeper concerns and thoughts.

Alex stopped walking, cocked his head toward Meredith and attempted to study her face.

"What?" Meredith asked, incredulous. "Why are you staring at me?"

"It's just…" Alex began. "I dunno, Mer. You're holding back on me. This is _me. _I know you. You know me. Just spit it out."

"Are you _sure? _Because once I say it, I can't unsay it," Meredith explained. Alex nodded and raised his eyebrows with impatience. Meredith continued, "I'm just wondering where you left my friend Alex. In 10 days, you went from, you know, _Alex_ to smitten, smiling husband and doting Daddy. I'm just a little… a little… in shock. Happy for you, but in shock."

"Pfftt," Alex reacted. "What the hell, Mer? I'm still me. I'm still Alex. Insensitive ass and everything."

"Yeah, right. Ok, Alex, if you insist," Meredith countered.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Alex contested.

Meredith grabbed Alex's arm and drug him into a women's bathroom. "Look at that face," she insisted.

"Mer, we're in a Ladies' Room, I need to get out of here," Alex mumbled.

"Alex. Look. Look in the mirror. Look at that face," Meredith emphasized again.

Alex grinned and looked in the mirror. His eyes were wider than normal. His face was far more relaxed and less intense. And, perhaps most stunning, he was smiling…well, grinning. With a look of surprise, Alex walked out of the Women's Restroom and back to the hall.

"Were you…" Jo began to ask as Alex physically ran into her as he left the bathroom. Her brows were lowered and her eyes narrowed with bewilderment as she pointed toward the restroom.

"It's a long story," Alex responded in his typical Alex tone. Then, almost unconsciously, his face returned to the new Alex as he put his arm around his wife. He thought to himself, _my_…_wife._ _Wow. Maybe Mer had a point._

Jo nuzzled in toward Alex's chest and provided an update on the baby. "Sekani is thriving in daycare. I just went to peek. I couldn't help myself," she admitted. "He's charming everyone with his flirty glances and quick giggle. Kind of like his daddy," she beamed as she concluded.

With his arm still around his beloved, Alex smiled and chuckled, "Who me? Me?"

Jo kissed Alex on his cheek and giggled, "Yes, Dr. Karev. You. I gotta get back to the ER. Coffee later?"

"Absolutely," Alex promised. He leaned down toward Jo and kissed her before she stepped away and whispered, "I love you, Dr. Karev." Jo grinned and departed.

"See what I mean?" Meredith emphasized as she came up behind Alex and scared him. She had been walking behind he and Jo, having followed Alex out of the Women's Restroom.

"Crap, Mer. You scared the hell out of me," Alex reacted with a slight jump. He took a deep breath and asked with exasperation, "What do you mean do I see what you mean?"

"You've turned soft, Alex. Googly eyes at Wilson, smiling, professing your love in public. Like I said, I'm happy for you. I really am. But I'm just wondering where my person went," Meredith admitted.

Alex shrugged and looked toward the ceiling, "Whatever, Mer. I gotta go round. See you later?"

"As long as you stop at that question and don't look at me like an over-hormoned teenager and tell me you love me," Meredith groaned.

"No worries," Alex smiled as he shook his head. Then, noticing he was smiling, he intentionally tried to look grumpier. That appearance shift lasted 10 seconds before the new, lighter Karev reappeared. He walked to Peds to check on a few post-ops with a spring in his step, and entered into Danny's room. Danny was a 9 year old who underwent surgery the prior day.

Speaking while burping, Alex offered, "Hi Danny."

Danny cracked up, then grabbed his abdomen, "Dr. Karev, you can't do that! It hurts too much to laugh."

As he whipped his stethoscope off his neck and into his ears, Alex mocked an innocent look, "Like what?"

Danny grabbed the end of the stethoscope and spoke into it as he burped, "Like this."

"Whoa! Dude…that's loud," Alex smiled as he messed up Danny's hair before beginning to palpate Danny's abdomen. Alex became more serious as he stopped palpating and listen to an area with his stethoscope. He inquired, "Is that tender, Danny? Does that hurt?"

"Maybe a little," Danny admitted with a grimace.

"Dude, it's just you and me here. Does that hurt?" Alex pushed verbally. Danny scrunched up his face and nodded. Alex responded, "That's what I thought. Here's what we're going to do, Danny. I'm going to ask someone to take you down for a CT. I want to take a look inside there and figure out what's going on, ok?"

"Ok," Danny burped-spoke. Alex smiled and excused himself to put in the order.

After stopping at the nurses' station and chatting with the two nurses milling nearby, Alex continued to 5 year old Emma's room. Emma had broken her arm and had it poorly set at a rural hospital. The bad set led to a surgery to rebreak and reset the arm. Callie had performed the surgery, but Alex had treated Emma before and wanted to say hello.

Emma was playing on a Leap Frog, deeply engaged in a Tinkerbell game. She didn't see Alex walk in.

"Oh, man, Tinkerbell? Has she stormed the city yet? Wrecked some cars? Destroyed Peter Pan?" Alex asked with enthusiastic anticipation.

Emma demurely put the Leapfrog down and grinned at Alex like a grown woman. "Oh, Dr. Karev, you really are silly," she offered.

Alex shrugged, "Well, you know…" He smiled at her and gently touched Emma's cast, "How's it going?"

"Ok, I guess," Emma answered. "It hurts sometimes."

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Want to see a picture that will make you forget it hurts?"

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed with a smile.

Alex pulled up the selfie he took with Jo and Sekani by the waterfall. "See these guys? That beautiful lady?" Alex whispered as if he was sharing something top secret, "_That's _my wife. We just got married. And that kiddo? That's my son, Sekani. My wife and I just adopted him. He was born halfway around the world in a country called Malawi."

In a high pitched, girly girl voice, Emma squeaked, "So cute!" She lifted her shoulders toward her ears and smiled from ear to ear. "Your family is super cute, Dr. Karev."

"Thanks," Alex grinned as he put his phone back in his lab coat pocket.

"How come your son had to be adopted? What happened to his mama and daddy that had him?" Emma asked with innocence and curiosity.

"It's pretty sad. His dad died in an accident and his mom died after she had him. If she'd been here, doctors could have saved her easy. But in Malawi, there aren't enough hospitals or doctors to help everyone. That's why Dr. Wilson and I went there," Alex explained.

"And then you brought home that smiley face guy? He looks fun. Can I meet him sometime?" Emma begged.

"You know what? Yes, you can," Alex assured her. "I'm going to take a break in a little bit. After my break, he and I will stop by."

"Cool!" Emma exclaimed before Alex excused himself.

As he stepped in the hallway, Alex's cell phone buzzed. He walked into the stairwell to take the call and sat down on the stairs.

"Dr. Karev, this is Trudy Willow. I'm the social worker that will be working with you and your wife during your adoption process. Do you have a moment to chat?"

Alex responded, "Sure."

"As you probably know, we need to meet soon to process some paperwork. I'd also like to set up a time for a home study. Has anyone explained that step to you?" Trudy asked.

"I have a friend who adopted a few years ago, so she explained it a bit. The people at the Embassy in Malawi mentioned it too. But, really, I don't know a lot of details about it," Alex admitted.

"The home study will give me a chance to get to know you and your wife. We spend quite a bit of time asking questions and listening to your answers. The questions focus on your backgrounds, your parenting philosophies, and your interest in adopting Sekani. I'll also want to tour your home and assess your preparation for the baby. Since he's already with you, some of these steps may be a bit different than the normal process," Trudy shared.

"Sounds great. When would you like to meet?" Alex asked.

"I'm guessing your schedules might be a bit irregular since you and your wife are both doctors. Is there a good time in the next week or so that would work for both of you?" Trudy asked.

"I'm not sure of my wife's schedule, but I'm about to meet her for coffee. We can compare our schedules and find some options. Can one of us call you back in a while?" Alex asked.

"Absolutely," Trudy agreed. "I'll look forward to hearing from one of you soon."

Alex walked up to the daycare and flirted with Sekani through the window before entering the daycare room. When Alex walked in the room, Sekani began calling, "Daddadada Da Da Da." Running up to his son, Alex bent down and picked him up. The baby gave him a wet, slobbery baby kiss and smiled at him.

"Do you want to go see Mama?" Alex asked with excited eyes and a smile. Sekani smiled at Alex in response. After signing the baby out, Alex took Sekani to the cafeteria where they met Jo.

"I had no idea you were bringing the little man with you," Jo gushed with joy. "Hi, sweetheart!" Sekani flirted with his Mama as he snuggled into Alex's chest. "Here, I have some food he can nibble on," Jo suggested as Alex sat down.

Alex grabbed food off her plate and ate it himself as he shared, "I just heard from our social worker. We need to schedule a thing with her. Can you call her back?"

"Sure. What's a 'thing'?" Jo wondered aloud.

Alex clarified, "She comes over to the house and asks us a bunch of questions and makes sure we're not running a dog fighting business in our basement. Stuff like that."

Jo's face was overcome with concern, "What kind of questions? Do you have any idea what she'll ask?"

"Mer might be able to remember what they asked her when they adopted Zola," Alex suggested as he grabbed a couple crackers and gave one to the baby before eating the rest himself. "She said something about asking about our parenting philosophies and childhoods and crap like that."

Jo locked her eyes on Alex with a stare, "First, maybe you need to go grab yourself some snacks since my food's all gone, and, second, what in the world will I say about _my _childhood? This is freaking me out."

Alex rolled his eyes as he handed the baby to Jo, "Jo…it's all going to be fine. Do you want me to grab you anything?"

"Just a handbook for how to answer the social worker's questions," Jo mumbled as she hugged the baby.

_Readers – call me paranoid but I didn't hear much feedback on the wedding and Sekani chapters. Did I freak everyone out with my weird Malawi detour? I ended up getting really interested in Malawi as I researched and then the chapters took on an unexpected life of their own! I hope you're still enjoying the story nonetheless. If not, throw me some suggestions – I'm always open to that. _


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